DELTARUNE: Chapter 2 (Alternative)
by White Asterisk
Summary: (Follows a Pacifist completion of DELTARUNE: Chapter 1...) Things were not as they seemed. The Dark and The Light appeared to co-exist harmlessly on side one another, but numerous powers were yet at play. As the very foundation of the worlds began to shift, one thing was for certain... This Journey was far from over...
1. UNKNOWN ERROR

_Hello. Before we begin, I'd like to take a moment to warn against any expectations. I do not know how much of this story I will be able to complete. I will try to complete it to the best of my abilities, but I make no promises. Should anyone want to pick up where I inevitably leave off or attempt to do better what I myself could not, I wholeheartedly welcome you._

 _I am neither a professional writer, nor do I have the time to blow on doing nothing but writing a fanfiction. Still, I'll do my absolute best to see this through, if I can._

 _That settled..._

 _ **Disclaimer: The following is a work of fiction based upon the events of the game, DELTARUNE: Chapter 1 By Toby Fox. It also contains small details and references to his previous game, UNDERTALE, sprinkled in, though this is purely within the realms of an Alternate Universe and has little to do with that game.**_

 _ **Regardless, I do not own the source material nor any of the characters, places or otherwise found within these games. All events that may occur within this story are non-canon and are based purely within the realm of speculation, hypothesis and theory. At the end of it all, this is merely how I would continue the story told so far.**_

 _ **Please keep this in mind and respect the content creators for what they create by keeping your mind open to what they craft as much as you will with me.**_

 _ **Thank you in advance and I hope you enjoy the story.**_

* * *

"... I... see... So it... begins..."

A man- not clearly human and not clearly monster- stared at a computer screen's black light monitor, rereading the various lines of code displayed before him.

It seemed that it was a command prompt, seeing as the varying lines read out complex command codes indecipherable to the normal individual... much less a technical expert, to a certain point.

Though a few lines were recognizable.

Head_A_253  
Torso_E_816  
Legs_B_677  
Accept?_Y

The list carried on into what seemed miscellaneous.

Favorite_Food_SW  
Favorite_Blood_A  
Liked_Color_C  
Gift_V  
Creator's_Feelings_HP  
Honesty_Check?_Y  
Reality_Acknowledgement?_Y

These lines began to seem invasive, however they truly became so with the last two intelligible ones.

Vessel_Name?_JAMIE  
Creator_Name?_JONE_PHYLIP

It was all highly unusual and to the normal person, it seemed incredibly contrived. Though, it was the final line that the man's eyes seemed to be boring a hole into.

ERROR!047_SOUL_TETHER_LOST

... The man's eyes blinked closed, finally... Then, he turned his back to the monitor and opened his eyes to a capsule, still glowing Cyan with the questionable liquids inside. Within that vat of fluids floated a smaller form.

Messy and mid-length hair. A thin frame overall. Nothing particularly descriptive could be placed about this body floating in the tube, other than the fact that the hair was a dark color. Was it male? Was it female? Was it human or monster? The only one that seemed to know was the pale man dressed in black, still looking at the capsule with a hardened expression.

He finally tore his eyes from the tube and hung his head slightly. "How... unfortunate... Most unfortunate... indeed..." ... He turned his head to a second monitor as he walked over to the desk it sat upon with a keyboard in front of it.

It seemed to be an observation of a room meant for two children. One side was heavily decorated by overhead shelves full of golden trophies, a wall or two of cutesy stars with a diploma's plaque along side a cute flower picture and a simple wooden bed with a striped blanket beneath it all. There was a small bed-side drawer beside- where else- the bed, neatly and brightly decorated with a lamp, an alarm clock and a lone, orange, hard-cover book.

Across from this all and just barely visible was a computer desk with- what else- a simple personal computer sitting atop it with a mouse and a cup of pens.

From this angle, you could even see the game console with it's two controllers still plugged into it sitting beneath the legs. There were also a few CDs from various authors and genres.

...

On the other side of the room, however, It was much simpler. Maybe even much more depressing.

The walls were empty, except for two, dusty, hanging shelves over a plain, wooden bed with a dark grey blanket. The dresser next to it was covered in the same dust as the shelves, making it look equally as dull. There was not much at all to this side of the room. A stain on the rug floor in a shade that made it appear to be ketchup. A little red wagon with a rusty bird's cage inside of it left open. Nothing was in the cage. It was just.. there.

The one thing these two sides of the room shared was the floor's carpet. Orange for the most part, but in between the two sides was the familiar pattern of the DELTA RUNE in the middle of a green square of carpet.

A sphere with angel wings overlooking three triangles. Two were pointed upwards and sat over the third pointing downwards. This was the DELTA RUNE. None knew what it stood for. But that didn't matter right now... No, this most certainly wasn't important... to the man.

His eyes were focused more on that dull bed's blanket, which seemed to be pulled over a large lump beneath, just barely emerging from the blanket with the top of it's brown-haired head.

The man's gaze grew wary and his eyes seemed to sharpen. "Without that soul... there is no telling the destruction... to come... Hmm?" His eyes darted across the room as they spied this small machine which was making a constant clicking sound. It was a box shaped contraction with a needle gauge on it's upward sloped top. It's needle baring gauge seemed to be forced all the way to the right and shivering...

... The man slowly seemed to smile a very eerie smile... "Interesting... Truly... interesting..." He turned his attention back to the observation monitor with a hum. " I will eventually need... that SOUL... However... As long as it remains... in control... perhaps fortune may yet... smile upon us..." ... His smile vanished as he stepped away from his computer monitor and once again looked at the figure in the tube. "... However... I may need to personally take matters... into my own hands... Faith and hope may yet... not be enough..."

The man stood there, eyes never moving from the limp figure within. Full of resolve, his mind came to focus on what must be done...

"I must not allow the Prophecy... to come to fruition... Not before our creation can obtain... it's true form..."

"... I shall warn them..."


	2. P1: Fiction and Reality

Night Time, the Dreemurr Residence...

...

... ... ...

... I felt something convulse within me, causing my body to move on it's own...

... Another convulsion and another involuntary squirm or two.

... Suddenly, the convulsions wouldn't stop and my body was acting all by itself! These weren't just involuntary squirms. I was not able to stop myself from moving all over in my bed! Was I having a heart attack?! But it didn't hurt!

And suddenly... I threw myself limply off the bed and into the floor, crashing hard into the surprisingly solid surface despite the rug. It felt like I broke something, but I couldn't even scream. I just had to sit there in my own body, screaming internally.

... Suddenly, a limp hand moves to push against the floor... Then, another helps it along. I am rising back onto my knees in the most awkward way possible, still feeling as if I were stuck watching my own body move by itself! What was going on?!

Eventually, I rose up into this ... zombie-like stand... My side was on fire with pain as it was forced to support weight and balance in it's injured state!

[What's going on?!] That's what I tried to scream, but the room was silent, other than in my own head. Instead, my face remained perfectly unreadable, eyes overshadowed by my draping locks.

... Finally, my legs moved on their own, aimlessly as my body hobbled itself toward the center of my room... Each step was pure agony, my balance a thing of imagination.

I tried to force my legs to stop, but if it was having any effect, you could have told me. They never stopped and merely kept hobbling me toward the center of the Delta Rune on my carpet.

... Once they finally stopped over the center of the rune, my body suddenly, lazily cut a one-eighty as it continued to hang it's head...

... My arm began to lift, but it was starting to feel... like it was asleep...?

The pain was ebbing from my side too... What was going on? It was still the only thing I could think...

I couldn't see what my hand was doing, but I could just barely feel it flexing it's fingers... Then, I couldn't... Soon after, I couldn't feel... anything.

I was suddenly caught off guard by my own distress. [Why can't I feel anything?!] The first new question I asked myself...

And "myself"... answered in my own head. [Because, this isn't you.]

If I could sweat, my brow would be drenched cold. [Wha...?!]

[IT'S ME.]

That raised hand suddenly shot into my chest- and I mean INTO my chest! My face tense as my jaw fell open in a silent scream, eyes wide in pain! I hurt! I hurt all over! Everything was suddenly on fire! [S-stop! NO! AAAAGH!]

Suddenly... it was like someone pulled the plug on me, like they would a TV... A flash... and then... Nothing...

...

...

...

-BAM!-

I awoke again in shock and with a gasp... if you could call it that anymore... I was in a cage?

Wait. Was I inside my bird cage?!

I looked around and soon found this to be exactly the case. Not just that but... where was my body?! I had no arms, no legs, my vision was as if I was looking into a tunnel... I was... nothing?

... I chanced to look in the right direction and found the more horrifying thing to me... My body was standing where it had been last time I was able to see as myself, in the middle of my rug's rune...

I would have been pale as a sheet if I had skin, but I am pretty sure I didn't have a body. Still. I was able to rush up to the bars on the bird cage and press "myself" against them. [What the hell is going on?!] ... Once again, I had no voice. I was a mind in a cage and that was about it...

... Suddenly, what I saw next rushed my realization in cold fear... My body had lifted it's other hand... There was something in it... It angled that something upwards as the gleam of a perfectly sharpened knife's blade showed it's unwelcome face.

[W... what...? But... Whe-where did that come from...?!]

... And very slowly, this other me turned it's head toward the bedroom door as hair fell away from one of my eyes. It was glint with red... A grin two times too wide spread over my face...

"How about some _REAL FUN_ , tonight?"

The words spoken were in _my_ voice, from my lips and with a horrible glee uncharacteristic of myself.

I couldn't be any more panicked if I tried. My body, beyond my control, began to trudge toward my door and I suddenly got the worst sinking feeling... MOM!

I forced myself harder into the cage bars and tried to scream, but my words were heard only in mind! [STOP! WAIT! PLEASE?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?! WHY AM I DOING THIS?! I DON'T WANT THIS! WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME?! YOU'RE MY BODY!]

As "my" hand was slinking it's fingers around the doorknob of the room's door, it suddenly grew eerily still... And then, "my" own head turned and looked my way with that sadistic grin and excitement in my now red eyes. "Oh? You care this much what happens to **MY** family and friends...?" ... [What...?]

With a sickening amused tilt of the head and an out of place sultry look in those eyes, the other me's own face looked down upon actual me from that distance. "You must not understand. You can't just barge into _my_ world and do as you want. You've ruined this run and things were about to get oh so interesting... Yet, you had to go around ruining my good work..."

... I didn't understand anything, all of the sudden... Why was this me telling me such... **_nonsense_**? I couldn't hope to understand. But I was still so on alert about that knife in "my" hand. I started rattling my cage with "body blows" by ramming myself into the bars repeatedly, trying to force the stupid cage door open. I didn't have a plan, but I didn't want to wait and see what plan _this_ me had!

... The other me shook their head with a low laugh. "You amuse me. It's like you've known these people all your life. One day in my shoes and you're already envious? Adorable." And with that final word, the door knob clicked open and the door was slowly opened wide while this me continued to taunt me with that disturbing smile. Suddenly, all nerves fired red and I was rattling the cage again. It was like the door weighed a ton- why couldn't I get it open?! There wasn't even a latch! ... Rust! It was rusted up! That's why It was stuck!

... "I" began to walk out... but then, "I" peaked back in at me, a more relaxed and eerily calm- almost sweet smile on my face... "Oh don't you worry your pretty little RED out. I'll be sure I give extra special care to Mom, Dad, Susie, Ralsei and all of the sweet, little friends you've made for me to _play_ with. But..."

My body suddenly walked back into the room at an alarming pace. Then, it crouched down over my cage playing the knife's tip to a finger as it told me something with a devilishly calm grin, gaze tilted low and brows raised. "I need to make something... abundantly clear, my little interloper. Your choices never mattered. I make the rules. And when someone breaks them, they suffer in a very... special way..."

... And then "my" face contorted into that way-too-big smile... I could see all of my teeth and their gums. I'd never realized how chapped "my" lips were... or maybe those were skin tears... The shadow night cast over "my" face made me think I was in a horror film... And the eyes glowed a soft red down at me... Then... "I" spoke in a very calm, very quiet manner. " _They lose everything and anything they gave their love to..._ "

Suddenly, this sick and twisted other me stands up and turns their back on me, taking their sweet time walking toward the open door way with that knife bore at their side.

I throw myself into the bars again, trying to move the cage door, grunting in intense effort inwardly. It starts to budge. I tried again, focusing on squeezing through the tiny opening as it started to pry wider with the squeak of the cage door.

They were in the door way now. Turning around, this other me took hold of the door in their knife wielding hand, smiling calmly and tauntingly over to me.

-Squeeeak...!-

Finally, I got the cage door open far enough to squeeze through! I floated up and out of it.

But at this point, the other me was playfully starting to pull the door closed. I panicked and rushed myself toward it... only for the door to slam shut in front of me.

-BAM!-

I gasp and sit up, eyes wide open...

...

I was merely sitting up in the bed, blanket and sheets still half covering my legs in a messy way... I looked around in the room... Even with my eyes wide, everything looked just fine... including that stupid birdcage in the corner with the red wagon... ... ...

Huffing and laying back in a heap on the bed, I almost slapped a hand to my face as I felt it over... It felt the same... Nothing out of place, no torn skin around my lips, no... smile...

... I tried to get back into a sleeping position, but the instant I closed my eyes even half way, they flew back open at the fear of seeing that face again. Shaking my head and grunting, I sat back up, before tossing myself onto the side of the bed, forcing my legs free of the covers... And I just sat there, hands cupped together in my lap as I hung my head...

... What What time was it? I looked to the side of my bed and at the empty top of my nightstand/drawer. Nothing but a lamp... Still, it at least drew my attention to the window, which let shine the dawn's light inside through the crack left in the curtains... Yeah, it was time to get up.

I looked at the ground beneath my feet, before grabbing the side of my bed and throwing myself off of it, meeting the floor with my feet- I suddenly had a flash of when I had done this in my dream and ended up slamming the floor with my body.

I let out a yelp and nearly stumbled over! Managing to catch my balance again, my body froze in the awkward position of half buckled legs and steadying arms... Shaking my head and groaning, I righted my posture and massaged at my sweating face... "Stop. Just stop... It was just a nightmare... That's all... Get a grip, Kris..."

That's right... My name was Kris. I am an adolescent human who lives with their mother in a town with a terrible name. Hometown... It sounds like the namer was lazy, to be honest. Regardless, this is where I live. A quaint, if not strange-to-weird town.

Why? Well, for one, I'm the only human. Everyone else is a monster, from what I can gather. I'm still in school but... uhm... It's strange. There are really only three classrooms, not counting the other that doesn't get used for anything else by games and lunch and stuff.

There's one for elementary school, one for middle school and one for high-school. Don't ask me how this works. It really shouldn't but it... just... does? Or maybe it doesn't. It depends on who you ask and I'm not the person to ask for more than three reasons.

1\. I'm not the one who made the school.

2\. I don't know what it takes to qualify a school... to be a school.

3\. ... If we're being honest, I don't even remember if it works or not.

... You'll think I'm weird- and I AM weird for the reason that I didn't tell anyone this at the time... But uhm... I didn't have any memories whatsoever of... anything. I merely lucked out on the fact that apparently, I was not a very talkative person. So, simple answers or short sentences had been enough to pass under the radar and not have to confront anyone about the fact that I couldn't remember my life prior to... waking up yesterday for school.

And so... when I fell through the floor with Susie into the dark world... I wasn't taken by all that much shock. My biggest shock was waking up in the dark. Still... Neither world had been very familiar to me in the first place. Even I myself am not familiar with... well, myself.

Mom. Dad. My still yet to be met brother, Asriel. My new friends, Susie and Ralsei. ALL of my classmates and my teacher... I FEEL like by the way Noelle treats me, we could have been friends as well, but I just don't know. Seems like she's more interested in Susie.

... Still. I'm not stupid. I know yesterday was weird, saying the least. Susie's reactions to it all were pretty confirming.

... There was... one thing that clicked with me. Something I shouldn't know. Something that only I could see. A flicker in the dark of that world that only I could find throughout... To me, I was touching this light and "saving my progress". To everyone else around me... I was just reaching out and grasping at nothing. Though, they never called me out on it. Maybe it was something I did often? ... I haven't found another flicker like that in the light world, though. And I spent quite a lot of time out looking, yesterday, after everything.

I can only assume that I haven't been looking in the right place or that I was just weird enough before all of this that Susie didn't put it passed me.

... Anyways, Yeah. I don't know who I really am or what I'm really like. Not for sure. The people I talked to remembered me being creepy to nice to weird to a kid with a sick sense of humor. If so, then... I don't really relate to that self. I don't even see a reason for that sort of behavior... Mostly.

And that's up to me to figure out without rousing suspicion. Though, if people start asking the real questions like my birthday or my favorite place or something like very specific questions... I'm sure that'll be it. I can only try to prepare myself for when that happens and if... Though, today is a bad day for that. I promised Susie that we'd go back to the Dark World and see Ralsei again. The question there... is how.

... I had long since gotten out of bed and gotten dressed, though it's kind of disarming to see a closet full of the same outfit. I had to cock my brow at all of the same Green and yellow striped shirts and the brown pants. Did my mom pick all of these out for me or was my fashion sense really this... awful?

It was all I had to wear, so of course I was wearing a pair with the same brown shoes as before. Walking myself out of my room and into the bathroom, I made to handle any person's normal daily hygienic routine. Though, while I was brushing my hair, I saw my eyes more clearly... Huh. So they were red... or maybe that's maroon. Kind of cool, I guess. Though, maybe that was why some people though I was creepy.

... With a sour expression, I gave a disapproving look to my hair. The bangs were way too long. These were just **waiting** to poke my eyes out. If only I had been a tailor. Obviously, I wasn't, so I just tried to force them to one side as much as I could, though that left me covering up one eye. At that point, I looked like one of tho- anyways, shrugging my shoulders... I went about checking myself over again in the mirror...

Same olive skin. Same brown, nearly-shoulder-length hair. Same cowlick in the back left side **_THAT REFUSED TO GO DOWN_**. And same thin frame. It was only me.

... That said, I could feel several minor bruises on my arms and legs. Looking down at an arm and lifting a sleeve, I could make out several unnatural dark splotches under my skin.

The memory or the multiple hits I took from that freaky clown resurfaced and forced a shudder up my spine. He was relentless. It still surprises me that we didn't bite it fighting him... He had been the only one we legitimately fought throughout that entire ordeal. I still regret opening his cell...

... But that also brought up my other bruises. I turned around and carefully lifted my shirt, looking back into the mirror at the dark splotch over my back. I made to reach back and touch it, gingerly feeling over it... And then, the soreness grew into pain as I arched my back and grunt.

The memory of getting struck tumbling to the floor by the King refreshed itself pretty vividly and I ended up hissing. In reality, that was the instance which we came closest to death. He may not have been as hard to stop as that weird jester, but he was smart all the same. He abused Ralsei's kindness to get him to heal him like he knew he could, then he attacked us while we were off guard.

He was a maniac... I'm not sore about our actions leading up to him getting overthrown. The man was terrible. What father threatens to kill their own flesh and blood?

... Shaking my head, I dropped my shirt and turned back around, giving myself a level stare. I didn't exactly like this look, but I nodded, approving of what I had for now. I'd do better after the day was done.

Exiting the bathroom, I head back into my room and thought for a moment... Turning to that bird cage... I gave it a long and hard glare.

Wheeling it out on the red wagon, I took it out of the room and began to pull it down the hall as those squeaky wheels refused to quiet down. Thankfully, I didn't need to fear waking mom up. She was already awake and making pie while humming to herself. Had an apron on and everything.

As I was rolling by behind her, I waved to her and said, "Morning Mom~."

"Good morning, my ch-... Ah!" She whirled around and stared at me with honestly wide eyes full of surprise and lips shrunk from just as much.

Right. About mom... She's a monster. But don't you dare judge her. She's the kindest soul in town, unless your name is Asgore.

Her name is Toriel, but I just call her Mom. She's a very tall goat monster... sorta...? I'm really not completely sure, to be honest. She has the white fur, two small, curved, white horns on top of her head, the large, floppy ears and a strange bump nose with slits sitting on the end of her muzzle. That same muzzle seemed to have fangs that almost blended in with her fur, constantly on display. Her round eyes also didn't quite fit. No "minus sign" pupils. They were normal and almost blended in with her maroon eyes. Heh. Guess that color runs in the family... Then again, I'm apparently adopted.

Regardless, her body is actually quite large, but like I said, she's tall. About... what. Seven feet tall? She's definite above human standard heights, but Dad's height is even grander. Anyways, she had a great figure, but a strong frame as well... I'm not going into detail about THOSE features. You can just use your imagination. That's my mom, ya creeps.

Anyways, her hands were well larger than my own. Maybe twice as large and thick with fur as well as retractable claws. Another feature no goat has. Her feet are also not hooven. They are just large and humanistic, but she only stoop on her canine toes and paws, leaving her heels off the floor, even if just slightly. Yet another feature not especially many (any) goat possesses... Still, she DID have the little, tuft goat tail in the back. That was something.

She also has that tuft of fur at the top of her head and she indeed had a kind, pleasant face, but at this point I'm just picking out randoms.

On her face, she wore silver half-rimmed glass- but I kinda think they're just for reading, not prescription. The lenses looked weird. She also had a silver heart shaped locket around her neck, the contents of which I didn't know at the time. Dressed up in all blue attire, she wore a blue overcoat over a darker polka dress flowing down above her knees. Over both was that all-white apron tied around her neck and waist.

... Anyways, enough about all that. She covered her mouth up when she saw me... before she removed them and revealed a proud smile. Though, I couldn't help but return a confused and blank stare. "Do not tell me the day has finally come... You can get yourself up on time for school without my assistance?!"

At that point, I just felt bad. I cocked a brow and groaned a little, scratching at the back of my head. "It's uh... I... kinda woke up from a bad dream."

The look on her face immediately turned to concern as I dashed her hopes single-handedly. It made me feel bad, but I don't like to lie.

She walked over to my side, even though I was raising my hands to say I was fine and placed a hand on my back, causing me to suddenly tense as she rubbed right into my bruise. I had to force back a gasp and hiss and keep my look as neutral as possible, but I'd be lying if I said my face didn't flex uncontrollably.

She frowned at that, and grew even more concerned. "... Was.. I in this bad dream?"

My eyes popped wide. I instantly looked up into her and smiled through my nerves. "W-what? No! You didn't have anything to do with it, Mom. You're the nicest person I know. Why would you think you had anything to do with it?"

She tilted her head and furrowed her brows. "W-well, I mean, you did just make a face when I touched your back..."

I inwardly cursed the King for the bruise he gave me. Still, I shook me head and smiled as naturally as I could."Not because of you, mom. Because... that's sort of what happened in my dream." I once again itched the back of my head, losing the smile. "Someone came into my personal space and slid their hand up my back. Then, they sorta... pushed me down into a bottomless pit..." And there I was doing exactly what I didn't like doing, just like that.

Still, that seemed to ease Toriel's nerves a little, a reluctant smile spreading across her muzzle. I was apparently good at this. "Oh, my child... Now, I can understand why you were so frightened. Falling can be quite terrifying."

Inwardly, I whispered, "You have no idea." I HAD fallen a large distance just yesterday, but she didn't know that and I didn't exactly feel confident explaining myself or that insane journey that followed. Who knew how believable I'd sound...

Regardless, she inevitably looked passed me and grew a puzzled expression, blinking at the red wagon hauling that rusty bird cage. "Ah... W-where are you taking Wendy's cage...? Had you not wanted to keep it to remember her by?"

I didn't know what she was talking about. I could only guess that at one point, I had a pet bird. I took an understandable pause to process a response, head bowed low to hide my expression... Then, I smiled back up at her, but not too much. "... I don't need some cage to remember her, anymore. Besides..." I returned my attention to the rusty cage and did my best to repress the images from the nightmare... And I said, "It's getting really rusty. I don't think we'll be using it, again. Y'know?"

This surprised my mother immensely... But she gave me a warmed smile as her eyes relaxed. "Kris..." Nodding, she softly placed a hand on my shoulder and said, "You are absolutely right. There is no need for such a thing, as long as you yourself keep her memory close to your heart."

... I just smiled through what she said, but inwardly, it made me highly uncomfortable. I REALLY felt terrible, now... But I would have felt worse if I had to stare at that cage for another night, remembering what happened to me in that nightmare...

I nodded and said, "Yeah," before I started wheeling the cage passed the kitchen and into the living room, Mom watching me proudly the entire way to the front door... As I took the knob in my hand, I turned my attention back to the goat woman and smiled wider. "Thanks for saying it like that, mom. It... really makes this a lot easier."

She merely nodded to me and smiled more. "Of course, my child."

Stepping out of the house and carefully wheeling the wagon out, I closed the door with a soft nudge from my foot and began to walk to the trash can, dropping my goofy smile pretty easily.

Turning back to the cage, I took the large object in my hands by the tiny bars, wincing inwardly as I recalled the part of the dream where I was trapped behind them...

Glaring down into it, I easily lifted it from the little red wagon and DUNKED it in the trash can with no regrets, the cage rattling violently from the force. Dusting off my hands, I smiled wide, feeling like I had accomplished something pretty big, there. No more bars to keep me inside~!

Walking back inside, I shut the door behind me and walked back through the kitchen as I asked, "What's the flavor, today?"

My mom, back to her pie, began to open the oven as she threw a smile back at me, taking the pie by it's rim in a hand. "That would be Cinnamon Butterscotch, my dear." She then turned her smile back to the oven and bent over, tucking the pie away on the top shelf. "Do wash your hands of rust. It will not take but a few minutes~. Then, you may eat SOME of it, not all."

The joke was obviously pointed at the fact that she said a few times I would hog the pies to myself. Made me feel kind like a pig. Won't lie.

Still, I rolled my eyes and rolled with it. "Of course! I'm not an animal."

Following my instructions, I visited the bathroom and washed off my hands. After that, you could sayt it was a usual morning. Though, I'm not sure how many kids are lucky to get pie THAT good for breakfast. I can sort of see why my past self might have hogged it all.

After that, it was still pretty early. This time, I actually got to pack a proper school bag with supplies and books. I wasn't just gonna show up with the clothes on my back and a pencil my mom sneakily stuffed into my pocket.

That said, now that I actually half knew the people waving at us as we passed down the road to school in the van, I waved back with a smile on my face. Pretty sure it caught a few people off guard, though, seeing as some of them thought I was creepy at one point. They seemed kind of confused..

Furrowing my brow, I couldn't help but think, [Sheesh. You'd think these people never change or something... Then again, I'm kind of assuming they were telling the truth about me and not just making stuff up.] Shrugging, I just settled in for the rest of the ride... before letting this one question occur to me. I really should know my own birthday.

Looking at mom, I approached the subject with a nervous smile on my face. "H-hey. Mom?"

She merely hummed to me with an eye looking my direction to acknowledge she was listening, then focused them back on the road as her hands kept the wheel steady.

And now to ask the question. Crossing my legs and threading my fingers together, I worded the next thing I said, cautiously. "Uhm... Nightmare related... When.. is my birthday? I just need to hear you say it..."

Her face tensed before the van lurched a little, making both of us go forward a bit while I grunt in alert. Thank god for seat belts, but mine nearly brush burned my neck.

She blinked over to me a few times in a double-take-like manner before smiling nervously and beginning to sweat, attempting to keep her eyes on the road, but continuously failing when her eyes inevitably wandered to me. "O-oh...my! Well, that is a... strange question!"

I cocked my brow at the way she was acting. What was the nervousness all about? It almost made me think that she didn't know.

She cleared her throat and brightened her smile as her eyes refocused on the road for sure this time. Though, the slight furrow in her brows was only just readable. "You were born under the month of the perfectionist, September, on the fifth day. 200X" She thought for a moment with a finger to her lip, seeming to search the air for something. Judging by the nervous smile on her face, she didn't find anything. "I... want to say something witty about September 5th, however I am uncertain if any holidays take place on that date."

I still had a brow raised at the facts. "Uh... 2000-X? Isn't that kinda like saying sometime in the 2000's?"

Her smile almost faltered, giving me the idea that she really DIDN'T know when I was born. Oh boy. Either way, she corrected herself and said, "I-is that what I said? I m-most certainly meant 2007..." Nice try mom.

I made a pitying smile and shook my head either way, trying to be kind. "I know. I'm only messing with you, mom. No need to get all nervous."

"Ah." She blinked, then blushed a little, grinning a bit larger than I would have wanted I didn't even know such a face came from her. "Yes, you HAVE always been quite the card... haven't you, my child?"

... I looked out my side window to hide my face while I said, "Yeah... But I think I'm done with.. THOSE pranks. I kinda realize they're sorta... mean."

"... Dear? Are you certain you're okay, today? Yesterday, you DID appear fairly pale when you got back home..."

A pause... I just stared out my window and remained quiet.

"... Did something happen at school with this new friend of your's that you are not telling me?"

... I turned to look back at her with the best smile I could manage, eyes closed so I didn't have to look into her's just yet. "Yeah... They helped me get my head on straight, to be honest." Opening my eyes, I turned my attention forward. "Don't get me wrong. At first they seemed kinda... mean. But turns out, they just didn't like showing their soft side.." And that was the only true part. Next came a lie as I looked her in the eyes, but not directly. "I... pulled a prank and kind of hurt her feelings. Pretty bad, actually..."

Toriel frowned as she threw a sideways glance at me, but ultimately kept her eyes on the road. "...I see."

Turning my head down to the floor, I half lied, making my stomach turn over uncomfortably. "I remember doing something that bad before, too. Thinking back on it... I was a jerk. Noelle didn't deserve that... one prank. And my room didn't deserve a big fat ketchup stain. So, when I think about yesterday and... well, how bad I hurt my new friend... It.. hurts..."

"Kris..."

... Turning to face her again, I smiled, even if humbly. "So, promise. I'm not pulling another prank that bad again. Kay? A-and no more "bath bombs" either." ... It was a big, sickening lie, but I was trying to make it as well-meaning as I could.

As we were driving up to the school... a very proud smile crossed my mother's face. I thought that her eyes looked a little wet, but it could have just been the morning light. She parked the car in the usual spot, putting on the brake and shifting into park as she turned her attention down upon me. "It's... almost impossible to believe that my dear child has grown up so much over a single day. I do not claim to understand all of what could have happened to trigger such mature resolutions..."

She came to hold one side of my face with one of her large hands, before smiling and leaning in close to me, her floppy ears hanging as she spoke, looking me directly in the eyes as I met her's. "But I AM proud to here you say such things." She came in close, much to my puzzled confusion, then pecked my bare cheek with her lips, drawing me to blink my eyes wide...

I couldn't really help blush a tad, smiling back at her as she pulled away, her still returning that warm smile. "H-heh. I... Thanks, I mean. Love you, Mom."

She pat me on the back and giggled a little. "Do not thank me, yet. Unfortunately, you still cut class yesterday." She cocked her brow and smirked playfully. "You thought I would simply forget or not be told, didn't you?"

I was suddenly not smiling anymore and my cheek was full of sweat. I had no idea something warm and fuzzy could turn into ice cubes so fast. "Uuuh... Honestly, I kinda just... forgot myself, in the moment."

She gave me a sigh and shook her head. Then, she gave me a soft smile. "I will cut you this one break. Same for that Susie girl. Though, you both must still face your punishment like responsible adults-to-be." With a harder, crueler smirk, she told me, "Meet me in my classroom for lunch period. There, you can spend time writing "I will not skip class." until you both reach a total of fifty each. Neither of you may leave until this is done, so should you both take longer than lunch period, you will simply have to finish up during my little ones' class period."

Swallowing, I felt my face pale at the prospect. Susie and I, forced to sit in a classroom full of children because she refused to listen. I could practically see it now. We were about to spend the second half of the school day in the elementary class. "... I mean... I-I'll do it, but I feel like we might be in there for a while, if we're waiting on Susie."

She just gave me a smug smile made complete by raised brows. "Well, you BOTH should have thought about that before deciding to cut class." Reaching for her door, she dropped the smile and furrowed her brows at me as she began to step out of the van. I followed suit as she spoke. "Honestly, Kris. You have always had your mischievous ways, but you haven't skipped class ever since you were a small child. Susie, I can somewhat understand, but you?"

I made a small frown while I was closing my door, hoping that she wouldn't see it. However, all she did was round the vehicle and see it anyways after closing her door. "Sorry, mom."

She stared at me for an extended moment... before smiling reluctantly and shaking her head. "Well, there certainly is not any use in sprinkling salt on an open wound. Just try not to allow it to repeat, if not for your sake then for Susie. She..." Mom seemed to frown a little. Mom went to say something else, but...

"Yeah, yeah, we know already."

She and I both turned to see the familiar tall, dark and purple monster, Susie.

... Honestly, I don't know what kind of monster Susie is. My first guess was Dinosaur, but don't they have small arms? The next was dragon... but she doesn't breathe fire... Croc? No. Frustration sets in on me right now, so I'm just going to go with Westernized cartoon dragon which cannot breath fire. Merely spit "venom". I know she's big and pretty thick with muscle. Not like a body builder. Just strong.

Her head was was an unusual shape. Soft and rounded, but kinda long. It almost looks like an eggplant. SHe will kill me if you tell her I wrote this willingly. DON'T.

... humor aside, I've seen those gnarly sharp teeth. Don't let the almost cute shape fool you... Beyond that, she had a few freckles in her cheeks and a long, chestnut brown, messy head of hair as long as her mid-back. It kinda went everywhere and had many cowlicks. Her bangs totally overshadowed her eyes, unless she got angry or surprised. It's because her eyes glow with a white light during extreme emotions. Sometimes, not her pupils, though... It's complicated.

Anyways, as for the rest of her, like I said. Big and strong. It wouldn't be too out there to say she's somewhat masculine, but her body somehow still looks kinda feminine. No ears as far as I can tell, but she HAS to hear somehow. And her muzzle DID have nose slits, so yeah. She has a nose... kinda. Purple-scales all over.

Thick arms of muscle. Legs of even thicker muscle. Her tail was pretty thick, too, though that part might just be tail. She seemed to have perfectly human legs and feel, but I can't say. I'm not about to ask, either. All I know is that she wears so pretty dang big shoes.

Speaking of wear, she seems to like opened up button shirts with the sleeves rolled up passed her elbows. The color of the day seems to be red. Underneath was a white muscle shirt with a ruffled surface. Darker blue jeans than yesterday, but they were still roughed up. Loose fit. Chain belt.

Yep. She was/is a bad girl.

She walked up to us with a chilled out smile on her face. It was the first time mom and she were up close to each other, that I can remember. And like I thought, Mom was still a foot or so bigger than her. Am I surprised...? ... Well, kinda. Susie, up close and personal, honestly FEELS bigger than Mom. But maybe that's because I've been pinned to the locker by her before and threatened by a maw full of teeth...

Regardless, Mom made her a slight smile, hands on her hips as she huffed a little. "Y-yes. Well. As I was telling Kris, you two are to report to my classroom and serve your allotted punishment for skipping yesterday's class during lunch. You are both to write "I will not skip class fifty times each before either of you are to leave. And running out the bell is not an option. Either finish during lunch or finish during my youths class period. With plenty of young minds wondering what the big kids are doing there."

It was the first time I had ever seen Susie's eyes go wide so easily. "Uh. What... You're joking, right?" She made a nervous smile, chuckling nervously.

But mom... She just gave her "that" face. You know the one. When moms make that disappointed stare with the leveled brows?

Susie just stared at her, sweat starting to drip down the side of her face while her eyes continued to stare uncomfortably into Mom's face. At one point, she threw me a look. "Don't just stand there...! Help. Me...!"

I just shook my head with a guilty smile. "I'm pretty sure you and I both know I can't do anything about this..."

The purple dragon(?) groaned inwardly and swat her face with a hand. "God damnit, dude. Just..." Throwing her hand off her face, she groaned louder and deadpanned at my mother. "FINE!"

"First of all, language. Secondly..." My mom smiled almost innocently as she tilted her head to the side, fixing her glasses up wityh a hand. "I am ever so glad we see eye-to-eye. Believe it or not, my child, I AM trying to help."

With a rather narrow gaze off to the side, Susie scoffed, throwing her hands into her pockets. "Yeah, help's the word..."

"What was that," came Mom's flat and questioning tone.

Again, Susie's eyes popped wide and she immediately threw her hands up in defense. "Uh, nothin'! Nothin' at all!"

The goat's smile grew a bit. "I see. Then, perhaps we should all go about our daily routines, since we seem to understand each other?" Then, mom turned her gaze toward me, her smile immediately seeming 100% more genuine. "I shall see you both in lunch detention, my dear. Don't leave me..." Her face scrunched a little as she said the last word. "Bonely~."

I just stared at her, ashamed, and said, "Oh my god, Mom. Please."

"Yes, yes, I know~. I won't bee-lay you any longer~. She giggled into a hand, before waving and cutting a one-eighty, walking toward and into the school...

I can't lie. Mom can be uh... scary in a whole other way from Susie. Either way, I, at least, was not incurring such wrath. I incurred something ... far worse.

Susie gave me a stare as her eyes once again became obscured in her hair. Then, she smirked. "... Since when was your mom a pun-isher?"

... I couldn't help but deadpan toward her. "... I have an idea of what happened, but I'm not happy about it OR the fact that you're enjoying this."

She cracked up a little bit, unable to keep the crooked grin from spreading over her mug... Though, it relaxed as she pointed at my face. "By the way, nice hair."

I rolled my eyes and started to walk away toward the school doors, saying, "It was the best I could do with this mop, okay? I'm cutting it when I get the chance."

She just stood there for a bit, staring blank at my leaving form. "... Like... Sure, but I wasn't making fun of it. I actually kinda liked it." ... Shrugging her shoulders, she stuffed her hand into her pocket, took out a thick piece of chalk, opened wide and chomped it into bits with one bite as she made to follow...

* * *

 _Sorry for leaving you guys with only the ERROR chapter to go on, last night. To be honest, I got too tired, so I had to turn in before posting this one. I still had correcting left to do, so I didn't want to submit it as it was._

 _That said, let me know what you all think of... well, all of this. ^^; There are a lot of details here. And in honesty, this chapter would have been even longer had I not split it into two at some point. Don't expect as grand a chapter next time, but it won't just being 1000 words or so, either._

 _Do tell me how I did. This is the first time I do something like this and I want to know if I'm doing it right._

 _That said, I may go back and edit this chapter, if I find anything worth correcting. Much was done on purpose, so try to keep that in mind._

 _Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed! **Also, please. If you could, point out any grammatical or wording errors that have slipped through the cracks. I have no Grammar/spell checker, so it is highly likely to see something like a word that shouldn't be there. It would be most appreciated. They may seem like small, inconsequential errors, but their fixing could improve the quality of the content. And that's what I'm all about. ^^  
**_


	3. P2: Toast of The Town

... When she finally caught up to me in the hallway, everyone was still freely chatting around with each other.

And yeah. Everyone was a monster besides me. Thinking about that made me feel oddly isolated... Then, Susie stepped up along side me, swallowing her chalk as she smirked down at me. "So. When are we gonna go back? We COULD ditch right now while no one cares if we're here."

I turned my head to her and shook it, folding my arms. "My mom would kill me, then she'd hunt you down and kill you, thinking you corrupted me."

She took a moment to think about that as the smile left her face... And then, finally, she nodded. "Yeah, okay. That'd definitely happen. I can pretty much feel her fire balls raking over my back." She took the moment to walk over to a locker and lean her back up against it, folding her arms. "But yeah. When are we doin' this? I ain't skipping it. I..." She took an unnatural pause, tilting her head a little... After seeming to crack her neck, she cleared her throat. "There. Got that out." Turning her attention back on me, she continued. "Anyways, when?"

I blinked at her... Then, I smiled and chuckled a little, before resting a hand on my hip. "Y'know. It kind of sounds to me like you were about to say, "I miss Ralsei and Lancer," Susie."

Her cheeks flushed a little, but she kept her expression neutral. "Eh..."

I made a sigh through my nose while I smiled. It was almost cute how she tried to hide when she was cornered.

Either way, I lost the smile, since I knew she might not like her Bad Girl rep being ruined by endless blushing. (But I kind of low-key ruined that when... Well, why don't you figure that out, now?)

"S-su-sus-Susie!"

Both of us nearly jumped out of our skin/scales when this soft, warm, yet youthful voice sounded out nervously from on side of us!

Our heads snapped to that side as we both spotted the likely culprit. Noelle.

Now, THIS was a monster that was straight forward AND easy on the eyes- don't read into that. Noelle was/is a reindeer monster girl with a very kind demeanor. She was everything Susie was not. Cute, friendly, uber caring and probably had way too many Christmas sweaters. (I mean come on. She's named Noelle.)

She looked as you'd expect. Soft, round, slightly long face, cute pink nose, short, but branched tan antlers. She had golden blonde hair that was even longer than Susie's, reaching down to her small, deer's tail with her bangs side-swept out of her eyes. Her eyes, the roundest and liveliest they come, were the same color as coffee and felt just as warm. Her fur is the same color as her antlers, tan. Same with her flopped, deer ears sticking out of the sides of her hair. And her face was a cute, ovular one. She looked a little bit dorky with the large bucked teeth shaped like a half circle together, but uh... Well, that's because she kind of is one. In the good way!

As for the rest of her, She had a modest curvature to her body and she was definitely a softie. Probably hasn't worked out beyond jogging. Her hands were slender and very feminine with red and blue finger nail paint alternating. Yes, her nails were human-like.

As her her legs, normal, but with deer hooves, not actual feet Understandably, she can't wear footwear. Or I haven't seen her wear any.

She wore- you guessed it- a green and red checkered sweater... vest... over a long, black, long-sleeved dress with an underlayer of white showing at her cleavage and sleeve cuffs.

... Whew... Describing my friends is tiring me out...

Either way, something definitely had Noelle's goat, considering the sweat matting her fur in spots and the blush spreading across her face. She literally looked like a deer in the headlights. "U-uhm... H-hi...!"

I and Susie both blinked, but Susie was the one to talk back as she settled into an easy smirk. "Hey."

I would have said something, but the way the deer girl was holding her hands behind herself and the sound of a rustling plastic bag drew my attention. I looked around at the back of her, since it looked like Noelle's attention was pretty much Susie'd.

And yep. Definitely a plastic bag... with something that came in multiple colors.

"U-uhm... uhm-m..."

The stuttering mess drew my attention back up to her face as I relaxed and cocked my brow uncontrollably. Why did Noelle look... terrified...? It was making me feel terrible, but it suddenly dawned on me, my eyes blinking wide. "Oh."

Susie hummed and turned her head to me, giving me a hard stare with those eyes. "Huh?"

I bit my lip... What was my move. That's what I was thinking.

"I-I just... uhm..."

I felt like crap for cutting her off, but I raised a hand in front of her, making her almost jump as she blinked at it. Then, she looked over to me. I gave her a smile and said, "Can you just give us one sec? I promise this won't take too long.

"Uh, wait, what?"

Noelle blinked at me... Then smiled nervously with a swallow. "U-uhm... Sure...? I'm not being a bother, am I?"

"Not even for a second. Now..." I took Susie by the sleeve, much to her confused surprise, then I jerked her away and turned her around, much to her vehement protests. "Agh, what the hell!"

I put a hand up and shushed her, much to her blinking surprise.

Taking my hand away, I chose my words carefully with a stern expression on my mug. "Kay. So... I know what this is. And don't bite my head off for it... But I told her you were nice."

Her face almost fell as her eyes gave me a narrowed glare, her cheeks darkening again. "You did... WHAT? And I am _nice_? Since **when**?"

Giving a low, exasperated groan, I was almost ready to give it up... But as I took another look beyond Susie at Noelle to make sure she was still there, I melted a little. She was sorta just standing there, uneasily giving me a nervous smile before waving at me... She was too good to let down like that.

I smiled back, before ducking back behind Susie and losing that smile, pinching my nose bridge under stress. "Okay. Look. Listen, PLEASE."

Susie bunched a cheek as an eye twitched. "Thirty seconds."

I rolled my eyes before dropping my hand from my face. Then, I spoke with a straight and honest face. "Noelle obviously has an interest in being your friend. It's not exactly something that took me more than a day to figure out. She tried to volunteer to go with you _herself_ to get some chalk, after all. And she asked me what my take on you was after I left school. And so, I told her you're nice. Cool. A good person, even if you like being bad."

Susie made an abashed face at the second-hand praise I was giving her. With a weak smile, she said in a harsh whisper, "Oh my god...? You make me sound like a softie. The hell, dude?" She then narrowed her eyes as that smile twisted up nervously. "And to _her_? She's Ms. Candy Cane! The chick practically **screams** cling!"

Sighing through my nose, I narrowed my eyes. "You don't really even know her. That's what you're saying based on appearance. You didn't know me a whole lot, either, and I'd like to think I'm not as horrible as I used to be."

She hissed through her teeth and shut her eyes, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yeah, but... She'll hate me when she gets to know me..."

... With a frown, I shook my head. "I really don't think that's possible."

She opened her eyes and stared we down, before saying, "And how the hell would you know? We ain't been friends long enough for you to know ME either."

"Because we wouldn't be friends at all if you were as terrible as you pretend to be."

I think in that moment, it was the first time I had ever seen Susie actually frown. "..."

Taking a deep breath, I folded my arms and stared up into her face. "Wasn't it you that said, "if you never let your guard down, you might actually hurt someone you really care about?""

She frowned even more, dipping her head low.

"What if Noelle becomes someone you want to let that guard down for? Someone you care about?"

... She stopped frowning and sighed, shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm doing this..."

Making a small smile, I dropped my arms and said, "Just give her a shot. I can't guarantee she'll stick on you immediately, but I CAN guarantee she won't try to hurt you on purpose... But if she DOES mess up, tell her what's what. That way she can try again. Alright?"

The dragon seemed kind of skeptical... When she turned her head back to Noelle and gave her a cool look, Noelle seemed to get all flustered and direct her eyes to the ground, blushing as she squirmed in place. I could hear her hooves clacking lightly in place.

Groaning to herself and rubbing at the long of her muzzle, she dropped her hands back intro her pockets and directed her gaze down at me. "Fine, but she looks like a wimp. And if she really DOES turn out to be a cling, I'm gonna wreck you."

The purple dino/dragon/croc made a reverse turn and trudged right up to Noelle, much to the sweet girl's alarm and nervous shivering. Still, all Susie did was play it cool with a smirk and ask, "So... What's up?"

At least she was playing it out. I could smile about that much...

To be honest, the reason I wanted to help Noelle out so much was because of the promise I made to Rudolph. Her dad. And while I was not entirely sure I could protect Noelle like he wanted, I could at least show her as much kindness as I possibly could...

... Turning away from them, I looked around for a moment to make sure everyone else was occupied. Then, I took to leaning on a locker and closed my eyes... Honestly, I was starting to feel the lag. I personally wasn't tired. It was my body. Maybe I wasn't that great a sleeper before I lost my memory.

It makes sense. I mean, I DID just have a nightmare... And when I thought about that, I instantly opened my eyes and took a deep, cold inhale. Shaking my head, I sighed out and slapped my cheeks to hopefully get the blood going again... Yeah, that only barely helped.

Groaning to myself, I just shrugged my shoulders. It was the battle of attrition if I actually DID get too tired.

"Ch... chalk? Uh... What?" That was Susie's voice. I blinked awake a little more and turned to look at what was going on.

Noelle was silently fidgeting to herself with a nervous smile and plenty of sweat... and blush. "U-uhm... W-well... I always see you... e-eating it... So... I thought...Y'know... You would like a-a... snack...?" Her eyes just barely worked their way up to Susie's face, but her expression became meek under that frown and those wide eyes.

Susie was just staring at her with an expression that said, "are you making fun of me?"

The poor deer took a step back and frowned to the floor, readying herself as she swallowed and closed her eyes, shivering a little and clenching her fist to her hips. "I-I'm sorry- That's-obviously-not-the-case-so-I-can-ju-"

"Thanks, I guess..."

The deer's eyes popped wide open as a confused and surprised blankness took the place of terror.

Even I was surprised. It almost looked like the purple brute was about to blow. But instead, her cool smirk was back.

Noelle's eyes looked back up to Susie's face, but for the most part, she kept her head turtled. Probably still afraid it might get bitten off. "...Y-you... huh?"

The dragon girl, probably trying to help emphasize, took out the object in the plastic bag she'd been handed out. It was a big box of sidewalk chalk, much thicker than any school chalk. It came in multiple colors.

She took a finger and flicked the lid open, despite it being sealed shut prior. It still went popping open Then, she took one of the thick sticks out- chalky red- and popped open her mouth, before chucking it inside and snapping down on it. There was a resounding -CRUNCH!- inside, before she began to chew it up.

Though it caught the attention of some startled students around us, this seemed to cause Noelle to ease up a little as she stared up at Susie more willingly, blinking. She looked around a little since it was taking a little for the purple monster to finish chewing. After the audible gulp, her eyes refocused on the draginoroc and she weaved her fingers together, nervously smiling. "D... Do you like it? I-I got the kind that a-actually has flavors to it..."

My thoughts there... [There's flavored chalk?]

Susie smirked a bit larger than usual, flashing her teeth. "Yeah. Pretty good actually. You've got good tastes... in chalk." The funny thing? She actually sounded like she meant it.

Her comment caused the reindeer's mouth to drift open, before it spread into a great, big smile. She almost started hopping in place and I thought- with her hands flapping like that- that she was about to start she stopped pretty quickly and said, "That's great! I'm so glad you like it!"

The grape dragon huffed a little and nodded, letting her smirk turn into a calmer smile. "Yeah. So, thanks. But I'm gonna guess this ain't all you came up to me for. Right? That'd be pretty random."

Noelle was brought back down to Earth with that, her eyes bugging a bit as she started sweating again. Furrowing her brows with a soft, probably fake giggle, her smile shrunk as she spoke. "Y-yeah, uhm... W-well, thing is..." The further on she went, the quieter she got until she literally mumbled.

Susie took notice of this, visibly cocking a brow. "Yeah, you gotta actually talk loud enough. Try that again." Her tail swished a bit impatiently.

The reindeer shuddered under her words and whined as she shrunk in on herself. "I.. uhm.. was.. h-hoping.. to uhm.. be... f-friends...?"

"Sure."

I could tell by the surprise and excitement on Noelle's face that her heart about skipped a beat. She immediately straightened up with that big smile back on her face, looking Susie in the face.

"But..."

The reindeer froze, that smile vanishing entirely. Now her heart was skipping for an entire other reason.

Opening her eyes as it seemed they were closed, she stared Noelle in the eyes as the deer nervously fidgeted her fingers. "You're gonna have to work on that spine. Look me in my eyes when you say stuff like that. I don't care for wusses."

"Uh... O-oh..." Noelle's cheeks flushed. She fidgeted and tried to redirect her gaze on habit, but caught herself as she flinched. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she then sighed out and tried again. Opening them, she looked at Susie's. And the deer was calmer, but the fidgeting with her hands told me how nervous she really was. "Will you... be my uhm... friend...?"

Susie paused for a while in what seemed like a purposeful staring contest. Noelle, nervous as she was and probably just as anxious, still never looked away. "Hmm..." She reached in on Noelle and took a firm hold of her shoulder... but I think Noelle figured that Susie wasn't about to hurt her, so she just kept staring.

... But Susie dragged this out by slowly smiling and showing her rows and rows of razor sharp and jagged teeth. "You sure you want ME as a friend, Princess?"

Noelle looked like she was visibly shaken, but her eyes never left the tall dark and purple drink of acid. Instead, she nodded, silent at first... before she said, "Y-yeah... I am..."

I could hardly stand to watch, but I was honestly afraid to look away more. If Susie tried anything, I still had a promise to keep. And Susie has a way of... making you wonder about trusting her.

It was impossible for anyone else to look away, either...

I really was expecting this to go on for longer, but Susie just said, "Cool. Welcome to the Fun Gang." And let Noelle go as she relaxed her mouth back into a cool smirk.

Noelle almost seemed to chirp after that and her eyes were wide... I swore there were sparkles in them for a bit there. Then, she shut them tight and shuddered in excitement, that little tail... actually jingling like bells in back while it wagged rapidly. She was just barely holding in a squeal.

... And then she took a breath and smiled more naturally up to Susie. "Thank you so much! Y-you won't regret this! Do you like tea? I can make some tea for lunch an-"

"Can't."

She blinked and froze. Then, she cocked a brow nervously, losing her smile once again. "S-sorry...?"

Susie turned her head to face me, not exactly happy. "We got lunch detention. Won't be able to have it. Besides. Tea's not my thing."

Everyone finally looked away, some seeming to snicker as Noelle's face turned into a frowning one, her hands coming to fool with a tress. "O-oh..." Bowing her head, she nodded and said, "Sorry..."

Honestly confused, the dragon girl tilted her head. "Why? You can't change what happened. That's just how the chips fell."

That did nothing to make Noelle feel better. She just shook her head and said, "Yeah, but- no offense Kris."

"None taken."

"M-maybe if I had gone with you instead... Or if all three of us had gone together...?"

Susie bowed her head a bit, groaning a little.

"Maybe... it would have been different..."

"Don't kid yourself, princess."

She blinked up at Susie, a puzzled look on her face.

I could practically see Susie's eyes rolling. She put it simply. "It wouldn't have made a lick of difference. You or Kris or both? Doesn't matter. If you haven't noticed, trouble and I are intimate. So, you woulda just been in the stew with me instead or together with us."

The deer seemed ... less than convinced. "But if-"

"Noelle?"

The deer looked up with her eyes alone. "Huh...?"

Susie, with this irritated look on her face, told her, "Shut up."

And the deer just nodded with a huff.

"... You think way too much."

The deer blinked back up at the dragon, furrowing her brows.

I could hear Susie mumble, "I'm not good at this..." The dragon pulled her gaze off to the side and spoke again. "All that thinking? It'll melt holes. It was my choice, not your's. Me and Kris went to "get chalk," not you. So, don't stress yourself out over it. Just... cool it."

The deer stood there, stare at her for a little while... Then, finally, she nodded and smiled a little. "Alright."

The bell finally rung for school in general to begin and everyone around us began to disperse, talking amongst themselves. I'm sure a few of them were gossiping about us. But we didn't care. Or none of us, Noelle included, voiced that we did.

... Seeing that this was not gonna go anywhere else, I finally walked up on them proper and said, "We should probably get to class. Alphys probably won't punish us if we're tardy, but my Mom will if she sees us out in the halls."

Noelle nodded, but Susie, still trying to act cool, just "Pff." I don't know how else to describe that.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention to Noelle and nudged my head in the direction of our class in the west hall. She nodded as she looked at me, then she started on her way...

... Seeing as Susie still wasn't moving, I took hold of her wrist and started dragging her along, much to her vehement protests. "God damnit, Kris! I can walk!"

"Well, you weren't and I don't want either of us getting in MORE trouble!"

My arm was sore for the rest of the school day after dragging Susie to class...

* * *

 _By far, Noelle is probably the hardest person to write for, but that's only because I know precious little about her... Anyways, I should warn you. Don't expect this story to keep zooming. I have only two other chapters written out and unedited, so far. I have no posting plan, either. It will all come out when it comes out.  
_

 _ **+EDIT:** By the way, for those wondering why Susie has a tail in this story, I'm well aware of the JevilsTail Dialogue. That too was on purpose._


	4. P3: Misdirection and Confusion

I had never been through a class period since getting amnesia until that day, but it was strangely familiar. What I mean by that is I know what the common things are, just like you've noticed I do with everything else. I know a lot of things. I felt I knew what to expect. I also learned that I was... surprisingly knowledgeable about most subjects... not counting history. Though, that's to be expected. That fell into the category of personal memories, I guess. I half knew some other things, too. The certain way I wrote. The letters of our alphabet. The exact way I pinch my pencil,the style I use to write and my ability to twirl it through my fingers, kind of like with a coin trick. Muscle memory was perfectly intact...

Regardless, those few hours went by too fast. Susie and I eventually found ourselves trapped in the middle of lunch detention, writing "I will not skip class." for the entire time, fifty times.. for one of us. Susie had to redo hers when she tried to hand Mom actual chicken scratch during the first five minutes, then got given DOUBLE the amount to write. And Susie nearly exploded. It _almost_ looked like we might actually be stuck in there for part of second period youths class, but the threat of such a thing made Susie write faster than I'd ever seen someone write, even to _this_ day. ... I don't know how good it was, but apparently acceptable to Mom.

... Anyways, something notable about second period... Noelle was not able to focus whatsoever. And no, it wasn't like with Susie. This was different... It was like she was down. Anytime she was called upon, she didn't know what we were doing or didn't know the answer to a question. All three times, she was off staring into the book's crease, pretending to listen...

I couldn't help but feel responsible to understand why, so even after I had promised Susie I'd go with her to the Dark World after school, gotten the permission to stay after school and the keys TO said school from my mother, I told her to wait up near the closet instead while I went off to stop Noelle. Not exactly something that went over smoothly, but I got her to let me.

... The deer had been solemnly and slowly walking away from the school, backpack slung over a shoulder.

I sped on over to her in a jog, calling her name. "Noelle!"

Her head perked up before she turned to look at me, a frown on her face. "Oh. Kris?"

Slowing down, I stopped in front of her with concern all over my mug. "Noelle, hang on. What's the matter? You've... been pretty down ever since last period."

She looked away from me and started to wring her hands, trying to back away. "I-I don't... Th-there's nothing..."

I stepped forward and shook my head. "No. Something's definitely up. You aren't acting like yourself..." Yeah. I know I only had a day of knowing her, but it was still enough to know something about this was very wrong.

... She directed her attention to the ground and furrowed her brows, even as she made a slight smile. "W-well neither are..." Yet again, she mumbled too quiet to actually hear.

I furrowed my own brows and sigh. "Noelle... Did... someone hurt you...?" ... It's pretty awkward asking something along those lines when you aren't the parent.

She frowned desperately at me and shook her head. "N-no! ..." She grew more nervous and lowered her head. "I-I mean... not... n-not like.. that..."

That made me feel like I failed her father big time. With a sighed, I guessed. "Someone picked on you."

"... Yes..."

"Why?"

"... Because I'm... Uhm... I-I'm friends... with "the weird kids." Because now, they're telling me, I'm one of them..."

... I grit my teeth and glared off from her. "Oh, we're the weird ones, huh?" ... I shook my head and looked at the deer girl with a calmer expression, but my irritation was plain in my red eyes. "I'm not trying to say that we aren't weird... But if the difference between being weird and being normal is being open-minded, then I really don't want to be normal. It sounds like it sucks."

She perked an ear and looked up from the ground at me with her eyes only. "What's th-that supposed to mean...?"

I fold my arms and shook my head. "I kinda know what being weird is like to a capital W, I, E, R and D. I'm a human living in an all monsters town, who's mom and dad _are_ monsters and who's hobbies recently involved pulling extreme pranks. And until today, I bet everyone could tell me I was the creepy kid they could barely get a word out of. Am I wrong on ANY of that?"

... She shook her head with a half smile. "N-not really..." Then she lost her smile. "But... W-what does that have to do with ME being weird...?"

"It means someone doesn't know what weird is. They're just lumping people together."

She blinked up at me and stared in blankness and surprise. "H-huh...?"

"You're weird... For WHAT? The nicest girl in town, possibly, and the smartest student in the Adolescent Class suddenly wants to be friends with two weird kids and suddenly she is just as weird... Because she wants to make new friends of her own choosing, she's WEIRD? When I put it that way, doesn't it sound like WEIRD reasoning? Possibly even STUPID reasoning?"

... She blinked into a slight blush, both ears perked... As they flopped back down, Noelle looked down beside me and held her chin in thought... Then, she looked at me as she dropped that hand, nodding. "Y-yeah... I-I guess it does."

I nodded right back curtly and gestured in a finger pistol at her with a smirk. "Then, it sounds like the person who told you that you were weird isn't worth listening to."

... At that, she frowned in guilt... "... Yeah, but... They're my friend, too..."

... I frowned and dropped my hand, sinking my head a bit. "... Oh..." It was easy to say any random student was just being dumb, but it gets complicated when it's a friend. You might not know what all that entails, so telling someone to stop being friends with the person that told them something hurtful is not exactly smart, especially when you've effectively just become friends with that someone, in a backwards kind of way...

She just hung her head and shook it after that. "... Sorry. This isn't really your problem. I know that, Kris..."

I shook my head. "No. It _is_ my problem. I'm you friend, too. And I'm concerned." ... I grew uncertain about that claim when she went silent and ended up letting my insecurity about my memory form a frown on my face. "... R-right...? We... ARE friends... Aren't we?"

She suddenly gasped into looking up and nodded. "Y-yes! Of course!"

... I sighed into a smile and nodded... But then, I narrowed my eyes at the ground... I looked up and said, "Hey. Me and Susie are going to hang out here for a while. I got my mom's permission and keys to the building, so I'm kinda going out on a limb here... But do you wanna come hang out with us? I know it's sudden, but I just wanted to offer. It might be fun to just hang around us to clear the air. Get your head off things for a bit..."

She furrowed her brows, biting her lip. It almost looked like she wanted to say yes, but... She shook her head and smiled apologetically. "S-sorry. I... I need to do something first. It's friend related..."

I dropped the smile and nodded. I understood exactly what she was thinking. She needed to get things squared away. "Alright, but we'll probably be here for a while. Just look for us, if you change your mind. The school's gonna stay unlocked."

She nodded, "Alright. But I really should start looking for my friend."

"Alright." I waved her goodbye as I started to turn back to the school. "Then, I'll see you, Noelle. Take care!" And then, I turned and began to walk away toward the school doors.

"Y-you too, Kris!"

I raised a hand and waved it back at her, smiling back at her own smiling face before turning away once again...

... I had no idea I had just been led on...

... ... ...

I met back with Susie outside the school's closet. She was leaning against those big double doors of charcoal black. They had two lever knobs with one having a key hole in it's base.

... The purple-scaled monster girl turned her head up and looked at me. "Jeeze, Kris. Were you confessing your undying love to her?"

I rolled my eyes with a groan, but I still couldn't stop the blush from rising in my cheeks. "No. It's just that she wasn't acting like herself last period."

She shook her head and shrugged. "Why does that matter to you? She's a big girl, isn't she? She can take care of her own hide. (I think.)"

Sighing and shrugging my shoulders as she pulled herself off of the doors and came to stand beside me as I took the keys out of my pocket, looking through them as I spoke. "Yeah, well... I... made her dad a promise to look out for her."

She rolled her eyes, I think. "Pfft. What, he can't do that himself?"

I dropped my shoulders a bit and remained silent for a moment, deliberating if it was alright to tell. This truthfully wasn't my business to share.

"Come on, Seriously?" She smirked and chuckled hanging an arm around my neck as she looked me in the face. "What- is the guy a total push over? Her mom's the mayor, right? Her dad's gotta be pretty-"

"He's in the hospital."

She eyes faded into view as her voice froze in the middle of a stutter. She frowned a bit with a hard-to-read look on her face. "Oh..."

"..." I looked at her and blinked. "That was the promise... I watch out for her while he's in the hospital. He can't leave and he said it drives him crazy that while he's in there... he can't do anything. So..."

"... You're standing in for him."

I nodded somberly. "I'm not trying to stand in for him, but I'm trying to be a better friend than I was in the past."

... She leaned into my face as her eyes faded back under her bangs. "... So, is this more for your conscience or for him?"

I shrugged and shook my head. "... I don't know... Both?"

She gave me a pretty stern glare, devoid of her usual demeanor. We were close enough for me to see her eyes beneath her hair without the glow. "Don't try to be perfect. Being a good guy is great n' all, but you'll drive yourself crazy trying to be perfect for everyone. Plus, I hate Mary Sues."

Sighing, I nodded. She was right, after all. No one is perfect. And I was trying to be... Why? I didn't want to be like me before I got Amnesia...

She took her arm away and backed off, hands behind her head as she spoke again, a smirk on her face. "Not that it matters to me if you go crazy or not. If that's your thing go for it."

I rolled my eyes and bunched a cheek. "Uh-huh. Because you're toooo cool for that."

"Damn right."

With a shaking head, I just smiled and resumed my search for the key... By which I mean trying every key until something worked. Fortunately, it was the seventh key I tried. The lock clicked and allowed us to go inside.

Opening the door, we were greeted by darkness... but it wasn't the same sort of darkness that emanated passed the door itself and into the halls. It wasn't even uncutable darkness. It was just the dark of the room. I could clearly see exactly what was MEANT to be in a supply closet. And it was much smaller than when we saw as far as we could see with the outside light...

I cocked a brow, as did Susie. Thinking ahead, I walked inside and looked around for the light switch... immediately finding it on the wall next to one of the doors.

-click!-

A soft click as I flipped the switch and the lights instantly came on, a very, very soft buzz emanating from their circuits as they lit the room. Both of us looking around, all we found waiting for us was what we expected yesterday, not what we expected today... a few shelves filled to the brim with ... stuff meant for school. Paper stacks, binders, chalk (I pocketed a pack for Alphys, just in case), a folding chair or two, staple packets, staplers, unused name plaques and other bits and junk that I couldn't really discern a purpose or function for.

Both of us stared at the room in disbelief. "What the hell...?" Susie had said that as she started walking further into the closet. She kept walking until she hit the back wall, a bare black thing with a circuit board in the back. That's all there was. And she shook her head. "H-hey, what the hell is this?! Shouldn't this thing be bigger than this on the inside?! Where's the endless hall?!"

I was equally as lost... I walked inside with her and did the only thing I could think off. I closed the doors behind us. "Okay then..."

She turned around to me, staring in confusion. "What?"

I reached for the light switch as I said, "L-lets try this, then." And then, I flipped it back off.

-click!-

... It was almost completely dark, except for the cracks of light I could see in the door corners... But...

Susie's eyes were the only light in the room, which was funny since they were so wide. "Is... anything happening?"

... "No."

I flipped the lights back on and threw the doors back open and, lo and behold... nothing had changed. It was just the school hallway.

... We stood there for a little while, not sure what to think... before Susie let out a groan and went storming out of the closet. I blinked and followed close behind as she said, "Whatever! Maybe the abandoned classroom! W-we came back out there for some reason, so... maybe the way in moves!"

It was worth a shot. That was my thought, too. I nodded and continued along with her. "Y-yeah." Truthfully, if that WERE the case, then that meant that the exit also moved. Either way, there was only one way in and one way out. I was starting to doubt that they were still in the school when I started to think about that.

Regardless, we went to and unlocked that classroom... It was exactly as we left it after I found the light switch. We were just both standing in the same mess. Cards and and half-played game of checkers out on the floor with some letter blocks. Few stuffed animals. A scrap paper art posted to one of the lockers in the corner. It all seemed ... exactly as we left it.

Susie growled in utter frustration as she kicked a block into the wall, making it ricochet off and around the room destructively. "What the HELL?!"

I watched in concern as she stormed around the room and started to seriously strip search the place. I dared not interrupt her, but I was just as frustrated, inwardly. Could we never go back? Had it been closed off from us when we banished that Dark Fountain...?

"K-Kris!" Susie's surprisingly distressed tone of voice snapped me back out of my thought as she came storming up to me. She took me by the shoulders, a desperate furrow in her brows. "That was all real, right?! It had to be! I have bruises everywhere from that freak clown..." She frowned and shook her head. "D... did someone drug us...?!

I shook my head vehemently and shouted. "No. Susie, you and I BOTH know that was WAY too real to be a dream. Both of us nearly DIED! Twice! And no way we shared the same fever dream."

... The facts supplied seemed to slowly bring her back to her senses as she let go of me and backed off, nodding slowly, even if she was still a bit frazzled. "Y-yeah. That was real. Lancer and Ralsei were real..." ... She thought for a minute with a critical, thoughtful narrow in her eyes... She looked at me again and gave me a stern stare. "Hey. What did Ralsei look like in the end? I know you know- just tell me we saw him the same way..."

I nodded, emphasizing with my hands as I described his face. "He was a white goat boy. Pinkish horns with green glasses. A tuft of white fur on his head sticking up like cowlick. He was generally pretty fluffy. And he was blushing."

She nodded as her expression grew more relaxed again. "Y-yeah... And he kinda looked girly, right?"

I cocked my brow with a blink... I shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I guess? But why does that matter?"

She smirked and sighed. "Just needed to make sure he wasn't some masculine hunk of goat in your head. You kinda liked him, so I can't say you wouldn't make him out to be a hunk."

My cheeks were burning and my eyes were saucers. I glared and blurted out, "W-WHAT?! I did NOT like him like that!"

She only grinned wider and pointed at my face. "Yer' blushing an awful lot for someone who ain't into fluffy boys."

This was getting incredibly uncomfortable. I slapped my hands to my face and groaned loudly into them... And the, I just shook my head and sighed out, folding my arms. "L-look... That doesn't matter. If we can't find another way inside the Dark World, we'll never see ANYONE from there again. That should be our biggest worry here."

She nodded and lost the grin. "Yeah. I know... But like... What do we do, then? Search the school top to bottom for a room that leads there? It ain't a massive place. We COULD do it."

... I had stopped paying attention to her when my eyes spied the chalk board...

She cocked her brow. "Uh, dude. You even listening?"

I pointed her toward the board, much to her confusion. She turned to look at it and instantly, her eyes bulged.

On it, the DELTA RUNE was drawn in the corner of the board, a bit misshapen but before recognizable. I and she both walked over to it and found that there were small words written in a neat and tidy print lining the entire bottom of the board. It was just big enough to comfortably read. I walked over to the other side of the board and told Susie, "I-I think it's a message for us!"

She nodded, but as she could see the end of the message, she snapped her head toward me with wide eyes and shouted, "It's signed from Ralsei!"

I gasped over to her, equally as shocked. I instantly turned back to the message and did my best to read it as I walked the length of the board, slowly.

"Susie. Kris. Do not be alarmed. The Dark World and all of us Darkners are safe for the time being, but this will not last. THIS IS NOT OVER. The prophecy. I misunderstood it and I don't have a lot of time, so I'll be fast. Remember what I said about there being "FOUNTAINS?" Not just a single one. Fountains. And it felt like we were able to close it too early. It was only A Fountain. A pinprick of a problem. A second fountain opened outside the Kingdom of Aces, far to the west. The King of Spades was telling the truth. While we fought against him, The KNIGHT was getting a head-start attempting to bring about the prophecy! I don't know how he's doing this and I don't know where he's going. I don't know WHY he's doing it and I don't even know who he is! I don't even actually know it's a he! If we don't do something about the next fountain- if we let multiple fountains spring forth, I'm not entirely sure what could happen. It could be the prophecy or it could be a comparably small-scale disaster. After all, a person is doing this and the prophecy doesn't describe such a person being capable! All I know is that it WILL affect the Light World! I can't tell you everything I've figured out in this message. I'm running out of time to be in this world. Darkners don't die in the Light World or anything. The portals between just constantly shift. You won't be able to get back in from here. But I can tell you one thing. The distance won't be as massive for you, but you NEED to head due WEST of here and look for unnatural darkness. That is the telltale sign of a portal ... Please come. I can't bring Lancer with me and I can't close the Fountains the KNIGHT opens. PLEASE come. I'll meet you in Autumn Vale. - Ralsei PS: Be forewarned: I hear the people there have strange ways. They-... " I turned to look at Susie with a visibly disturbed grimace."... And then he runs out of room to write, I think..."

... Our expression matched, despite our different mugs. "... I feel like I was supposed to feel better about hearing from Ralsei..."

She nodded in agreement. Then, she took a few steps away from the board with a nervous, troubled expression. "Okay, so... What do we do? Where do we even **go**?"

I took a lean with an arm on the chalk board and re-read the part that mattered myself and then said, "West. It's general, but apparently we just need to keep an eye out for unnatural darkness. And I have to guess..." I turned to face her. "... that that means we look for darkness like what we saw in the closet yesterday...? Or maybe darkness where it couldn't be?" I shook my head and took a sigh, letting myself calm down. "Never mind. Let's just look for suspicious shadows in general, alright?"

She nodded. "Fair enough, I guess."

After that, we both left the classroom and began our search...


	5. P4: Harsh Treatment

... I uhm...kind of don't know how to start this, so I'll just admit to something before I do... I lied to Kris...

When I was telling them what happened, I purposefully changed what my friend said about me. It wasn't, _"You're one of the Weird kids, now."_ It was, _"You're a traitor."_

... I didn't want to approach that can of worms. I couldn't... Kris obviously didn't remember everything or they would have known what friend I was talking about and exactly why it happened. I was just being nice and not asking why, but I had no idea they had full-on Amnesia.

... Still... I admit. There was a reason that I reacted in the ways I did. Kris had never said anything so nice to me in my life. I was confused... but kind of happy. I also wondered if I was actually talking to the real Kris... Well... I was, I guess... Though, maybe I shouldn't say anything about that. That's their business.

... Okay. So. I guess... I'll start where Kris had just left into the school, leaving me behind... I was just standing there, waving them off in the middle of the road, trying to seem as thankful as I could to make them feel better...

When I couldn't see them anymore, I.. got really nervous again. It's called holding your chin in thought, right? ... Well, that's what I did next, because I didn't know how to approach things. Every way I thought to approach the subject with _them_ just made me scared to try, because every attempt ended terribly in my head...

... But I didn't get a chance to try any of those ways...

"Wow." The word made me yelp, because I instantly recognized that snorkly voice. "You and the sociopath get along great there, Noelle..." I turned around to see Berdly walking out from behind a tree next to me, just off the sidewalk and road headed into town. I couldn't help the frown on my face and the shiver that sent down my spine.

... Oh. What does Berdly look like? Uhm... Well, he looked kind of... like a blue jay dressed up. And I mean that literally. Maybe a bit skinnier than usual. He even has fully feathered bird wings, though his end feathers can be used as fingers and thumbs. He also had long tail feathers with a white stripe through the middle and darker blue tippings. I guess his legs look more like a harpy's, though.

He's actually kind of handsome... for a bird. It's just a shame that back then, he was always wearing a cruel smirk. He has a sharp, pointed beak and spiked back, thick feathers done like hair atop his head... Particularly bad eyes, so he wears sleek, prescription glasses.

Most of the time and then, he wore a white jacket with short sleeves to let his wings out with a black shirt as a combo. As for pants, short khakis. No shoes, though. Who could wear shoes with hooves like mine and talons like his?

... Well, either way, there he was, standing a short distance away... But he was carrying himself differently than usual. He squinted into me, but he wasn't smirking like he does at everyone else. No... What he was staring at me with was this horrible, bile inducing glare. And he was hunched a bit, shoulders sunk with his hands in his pants pockets...

... He began to slowly walk in toward me.

I was expected something else and that expression scared me, honestly. My eyes wide and my everything shaking, I couldn't move. My hooves were clacking against the pavement and my palms were sweating, along with everything else, making my fur stick. I swallowed and frowned, trying to calm down and speak. "B-Berdly...! P-please, let's just... c-calm..." My voice cut out, even though my lips were trying to form words. It was like my vocal cords just quit...

He shook his head and glared harder. "Oh spare me. You think your scared deer-in-the-headlight routine's gonna stop me from saying what I want? You think I _care_ if you're afraid? I knew you pretty well, Noelle, but I guess not well enough."

I winced away and backed up. I was so upset that I thought I might cry and I was so scared that I thought I'd embarrass myself further than that. I squeaked trying to speak, but I couldn't make my voice climb back out of my stomach... I was never very brave...

He got up close to me and frowned. "Do you know how it feels? You don't, do you? I was trying to protect you from that **psycho** and her pet. I was trying to keep you safe, because I know she'll hurt you for real or worse. I tried to tell you not to even get associated... I tried! How _many_ times did I try? At least fifty... Probably more." His eyes sharpened into daggers and his eyes leaked tears. "And you kept saying over and over again that you want to be **friends** with her! And you finally _did it!_ _DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT SHE DID TO ME_?! _DO YOU YOU EVEN_ **_CARE_**?!"

I felt like I was going to vomit if I spoke at this point and I my mind was going blank with fear as I froze up. My body's shakes turned into tremors and my breathing started to shutter, but he kept going... And he looked so... hurt...

He held out his wing and pointed to the abnormal dent in the "forearm" section. "My left wing, Elle! It's never gonna be the same again! I can hardly fly straight! You knew about that and you...!" He sniffled and held his face in one of his feather hands, sobbing openly. "You... s- **STILL**... *sob!*"He threw his hand off his face and growled through his tears getting up in my face and screaming, " **DO YOU EVEN CARE HOW THIS MAKES ME FEEL?!** You're friends with my worst **ENEMY, NOW! THE SCHOOL'S BULLY! I DON'T CARE THAT IT JUST STARTED TODAY! SHE'S A _FREAK_!**"

It was too much to take. I remember being so lost and scared in the moment. Everything Berdly was saying was true. It was **inconceivable** how inconsiderate I had been...

... I had no good reason to think Kris was telling the truth, but... they've never acted so sincerely... and never been so **nice** to me. And... I just don't know... ... ...

So, I took a chance I had been wanting to take for a while. I wanted to know something, you see... _Why I felt the way I did around her_... And in my rush to know, I forgot that Susie... was _not_ the best person ever, either, as you just found out...

... I had just betrayed my best friend...

... I started to sob, tears running my contorted face, my distress and guilt at an all-time peak. Shaking my head, I tried to say, "I'm sorry," but when I was half way through "sorry," Berdly's face tensed and his eyes widened into an outraged scowl. In an incredibly quick movement, his "hand" whipped up and... _**-Whack!-**_ ... It slapped me across the face hard enough to both turn my head and almost make me fall over, stumbling to the side. I'm sure that under my fur, a red mark was starting to appear.

... I just stood there, cupping my cheek in my hands as it pulsed and swelled a little. It hurt... so bad... and the tears kept dropping down my face... My eyes were probably wide. And I must have looked terrified or hurt...

The bluejay Monster's face was still contorted with anger for a moment... And then it softened, his eyes growing wide... He frowned and shook his head before his hand reached out to me while he said, "N-Noelle... Noelle, I didn't mean to do that, I-I..."

My hand almost moved by itself and I slapped his away. He gasped and frowned even more deeply... making me feel worse... I couldn't take it.

I turned and ran, bawling my eyes out as I shut them tight. I didn't see where I was running. Berdly called out for me in distress... It's obvious I didn't stop. I kept running and running and running, wheezing and sobbing in equal. I didn't care where I was going. I didn't want to be there...

...

... When I DID open my eyes, I was in the woods and surrounded by thick trees.. _._ I came to a stop slowly but surely when I saw what put me on edge. I don't know how to describe it, honestly.

The woods had never looked so... unnatural. It was like someone drew it up elaborately on graphite paper...

I couldn't believe my eyes, shaking my head and sobbing a little, still very much upset. Backing away, my eyes went up and soon, so too did my head. I was looking for light... And I wasn't finding much of it. Even straight up, the light was hardly there. I could see the sky, but it was incredibly grey. Almost black and fading darker...

I looked at myself and took in another realization. I myself had all my color and it and was easy to make out, like light was still hitting me... My first thought was that I might have slipped into some sort of terrible mental sickness. I HAD just been verbally assaulted and slapped very hard... even if I had deserved it...

But I had never read about anything like this. No mental illness quite sounded like the world around the afflicted literally turning black...

And then, Just like that, the ground beneath me crumbled and gave and I went falling onto my stomach with a shriek and cough! I groaned, straining to keep myself from falling in, just barely catching a grip on the ground before me. I kicked my legs about for something to catch with my hooves, but I hit open air! When I looked back, I gasped through my horror upon seeing an even darker blackness spreading out and eating the ground away from what remained under me, making a hole! I screamed and turned my head back forward as I began to claw and grab at what felt like grass and dirt but all blackened. Trying with all my might to pull away, It felt like working against suction! And then... everything I clawed for ended up breaking up between my fingers and collapsing under my grasp... and eventually, I fell into an empty, endless void of pure darkness, screaming at the top of my lungs and flailing, falling down into that gaping maw in the ground...

... Dark, darker, even darker... It never stopped getting darker until I literally couldn't see...

 _ **-BOOM!-**_

It was the final sound I heard before I lost consciousness... I think it was the sound of me hitting the floor, but I don't remember pain...

... ... ... I guess it's Kris's turn again.

* * *

 _So legitimately a bit of a short chapter this time. Every time a perspective shift occurs, the chapter will end. Still, I hope this was ... enlightening._

 _I honestly hurt writing this. Noelle is a good girl, but I wouldn't be surprised if she stuck her nose into trouble if Susie was the one she got in trouble for._

 _She almost seemed okay with getting treated roughly by Susie in dialogue options, so I rolled with it. I also have a reason for putting Berdly in the way he's in, but I'll let that reason rest until next chapter._

 _... And I will try to have the next chapter out in the next day or two, but no promises. I don't have much left of that one to write, but I want it to be a good one._


	6. P5: Back Into The Dark

... As soon as Susie and I walked back out of the black doors of the school, it was time to start searching for the new entrance to the Dark World. It's worth noting, but at the time I had completely forgotten I had my backpack on. That'll be important later.

Just outside the door, we turned to each other and I told her, "I think it's the best idea to split up, for now. We can cover a bigger area if we aren't both looking in the same place. if Either of us finds something, we phone each other and meet back here. Last time we got too close to the entrance, it didn't let us walk away."

She nodded and gave me a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan to me. Or at least, I don't have a better one."

I nodded and folded my arms. "Remember. We don't need to check the whole town, according to the message. We just need to look west of the school. Anything else will be a waste of time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Alright." I pointed to myself. "I'll check around the school, in the woods and the library."

"Librarby," she corrected with a slight smirk.

... I just rolled my eyes with a sigh. _**"Librarby.**_ Whatever." Then, I pointed to her. "You check the hospital, the police station and..." I paused and squinted, troubled by the fact that I didn't really know what was beyond that. I folded my arms with a groaned and closed my eyes. "... A-anything beyond that, within reason. If we end up having to go much further out, We'll just go together." I opened my eyes and hid my troubles behind I business face. "Alright?"

She seemed to tilt her head at the fact that I took so long responding, but she eventually nodded with a shrug. "Yeah, sure. But I'm not about to go all the way to the beach unless I have to. That's a half a mile out."

I rubbed the back of my head and groaned. Beyond that roped off road was a beach I hadn't recalled... Needless to say, my lack of memory was starting to become an increasing problem... I just shook my head and turned it back up to Susie. "Alright. Then we'll search there together. If we end up having to, we'll just meet at the road block."

Having heard enough, the dragon girl nodded and turned away, already walking off. "Don't mess around!"

I nodded as she walked off and into town... I began to turn around to check the right side of the school when...

"H-hey. Hold up!"

I perked my head at the voice that came from somewhere behind me, immediately turning around to see who it was... On the other side of the school's entry wall, right around the corner, there stood... a very sorry looking Berdly. He looked like he'd just had a panic attack and previously gotten done crying. His eyes were red and some of his feathering was messed up.

I blinked, a bit surprised to see him, then fully turned to look at him with a pitying frown. "Holy crap. Berdly, you look like a mess. Are you okay...?"

He just shook his head in frustration while I was talking and walked up to me in a hurry. "Just shut up and listen to me. I still don't like you two, but I don't have a choice. I **need** you!"

I blinked into a suspicious narrow, turning my head... Letting up with a sigh, I shook my head and held a hand to my hip. "I'll hear you out, but I can't make promises. A lot's going on right now."

He glared into me and shook his head before he shot his arms outward. "Yeah, well too bad! A lot's going on with Noelle too and I can't fix it, because I screwed up!"

Noelle's name caught me right off guard, making me visibly winced. With my head tilted down, I narrowed my eyes into him. "What happened?" I couldn't help the urgency in my tone.

... He hung his head and frowned, before slumping his shoulders. "...I-I was a moron. I... I hated that she was friends with you guys- more Susie- a-and I blew up on her. Bad... I got so mad... a-and I slapped her. A-and-"

"You did **_what_**?!" The words were spat from my mouth before I could get a handle on my outrage. I had taken a step in on him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, much to his frightened gasp. I could hardly stop myself when I forced him back and into the door of the school, pinning him against it as I glared daggers into his face. "Why? Do you have any idea how messed up she was feeling already?!"

He glared right back, but it was a frightened thing. "Of course I do! That's why I was trying to protect her from Susie! Because Susie's a freak!"

I could _not_ be madder. First, he tells me he hurt Noelle, then he calls my only other known friend a freak... But I calmed myself by taking a deep breath and releasing his shirt as he fell to the ground, grunting as his rear hit the concrete.

I turned my back on him and was about ready to walk off... But I decided against it. "You do, huh...? Yeah, right..." ... I turned my gaze down on him and narrowed it further, giving him a nasty look. "Listen to me very carefully. I don't much care for you right now, so what you're going to do is tell me where Noelle might be and then, you are going to follow me while we look for her. Then, when and if we find her, you're going to apologize to her. I don't know what could have been that bad about Susie that you took it out on Noelle, but as far as I can tell, **she** did **NOTHING** to deserve _**a slap to the face**_."

The bluejay stared up at me for a long moment, glaring... Before it all melted into a frown as he bowed his head. Slowly standing back up onto his feet and dusting himself off, he looked at me as I turned back around to face him. I asked a one word question. "Where?"

He turned his head and looked at the woods right on side of the school, pointing it out. "She ran into the woods... I don't think she really knew where she was going. She had her eyes closed..."

I nodded and stepped back from him, before turning around and waving him on to follow. After that, we both walked into the woods together... I had a thought when my anger cooled enough... This was one of the potential places where the Dark World Entrance could have been... I felt my face break out in a cold sweat, paled by the idea. If Noelle had ended up stumbling into the Dark World, there was no telling what could happen to her...

... To break the tension while we were walking through the forest and looking for her, I had the curiosity to ask Berdly, "Why do you hate Susie so much?"

"... I don't know how you could of forgotten, but you obviously did."

My thoughts on that moment? [Yet another thing I don't remember.]

"She broke my wing."

This **did** make me stop. My eyes blinked wide and it felt my heart skipped. I turned around and glared at him. " _Excuse me?_ Susie can be pretty mean, but she never went passed knocking someone out!"

He glared right back at me. "Yeah, well tell that to the guy with a permanently messed up wing. Me! I didn't get hit on the head, asshole. She **broke** my **wing**!" He emphasized the point by lifting his wing and pointing out the odd dent in it.

I stared at it in shaken disbelief... Then I shook my head and re-firmed my brow. "Susie wouldn't **_do_** that! Not without being provoked. You said something to her that set her off!"

He winced back and dropped his arm a bit, before shaking his head in vehement denial. He then glared me down. "It doesn't matter! Who breaks someone's arm for... f-for taking up for themselves! Everyone knows she did it on purpose, so don't even say..." He caught a mocking tone as he went purposefully cross-eyed under his glare. " _Uh, well she would never_ **mean** _to do it~! That's not Susie~!_ "

My glare further softened as I stared at the ground, hands clenched into shaking fists. I was searching my mind for some comeback or rebuttal, but I couldn't think of one... I didn't appreciate the mocking, but I was no longer as firm about my belief that Susie didn't do what he said...

I turned my head away from him and frowned for a second... before I made a soft glare back at him and shook my head. "I still think you provoked her. And knowing what I do about that mouth of yours **and** your temper, you'll have to excuse my skepticism." Truthfully, I had only just learned about that temper, but it was applicable.

He scoffed and folded his wings over, looking away from me. "Yeah, whatever. I didn't say anything worth breaking a guy's arm over..." ... He turned his head back to me a cocked a brow as I began to turn back forward and walk, much to his surprise. "H-hey! Wait up! You aren't about to leave me alone here!"

I shook my head and kept my eyes forward, looking out for Noelle or odd shadows. "I don't have time for this and neither does Noelle. We can talk about this more later. **_With_** Susie. I wanna here her side of this, as well."

He went wide-eyed for a moment in stutter, then spat out, "S-screw that! I'm not about to go anywhere _**near**_ that psycho!"

" _EITHER WAY_ , we need to fi-i-..." I stopped dead in my tracks as I spotted... exactly what I didn't want to see...

I got bumped into from behind by Berdly, grunting as I went stumbling forward a little. I turned to his fallen over form and glared... But I shook my head and took a breath before looking forward with sweat rolling down my cheek. "Berdly... Don't come any closer... Look ahead and don't run away..."

The bird monster cocked his brow and squinted at me like I was crazy. Eventually, he did what I said and looked beyond me... The woods ahead had faded from Autumn's colors to grey and then to black. The trees themselves were mere outlines at that point and a slowly creeping hole in the dirt just barely visible in the middle of it all could be seen...

He gasped and quickly scrambled back from the scene in fear. Eventually he came to stand up and shiver from the sight laid out before him. "W-wh-what the actual **f%!*** is that...?! W-what happened to the woods?!"

... It wasn't just the trees and ground. I turned my head up, following the darkness up from them and found that the air above the tree line was just as darkened, unnaturally. Even when I was staring at the sun through the darkness, it was a pale light at best... And it was spreading, even if at a snail's pace. The area it blanketed was already as wide as a baseball field...

In a dead serious tone, I said, "Don't go any closer. If you get anywhere near that, I don't think you will be able to back away from it."

He looked at me like I was utterly insane, slowly shaking his head as he backed further away. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm telling you, but first... be quiet for a second. I need to make a call..."

He scowled at me, an eye practically twitching before he threw his wings out and shouted, "Who could you **POSSIBLY** need to call right now?! We need t-"

"Shut **UP**!"

The bird let out a yelp and held his hands up in front of himself.

... I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone, before inputting Susie's number and hitting the call button. I held it up to my ear as it began to buzz... Finally, it connected, much to my relief. "Oh, thank god it works. Susie, I found the en-" Suddenly, my ear was assaulted with this horrible, high pitched and scrapping static as I winced enough to grunt and pull the phone away in a hurry!

Even with it away from my face, I could hear that static coming and going clearly enough. It was as if someone was talking on the other end, but the audio was just too messed up to understand.

I dared not put _that_ back up in my ear, so instead I just held the receiver up in front of my mouth. "I can't understand you, Susie! Just listen! It's in the woods! Understand? Come to the woods beside the school! Okay?"

 ** _-click!-_**

I looked down at my phone in confusion... The call was just ended... I cursed under a breath, frustration written across my face... My first thought was to go back to the school and wait for Susie... However, as I was turning around, I came to freeze as I thought about Noelle... She could have fallen into the Dark World...

"Hello?! Earth to Kris! What just happened?!" ... Berdly's voice gave me an idea, but he wasn't going to like it.

I turned and looked at him with a stern grimace. "Berdly... Listen very carefully."

He seemed to clam up with a scared frown.

I though about my next words carefully... Then, I told him, "I need you to do exactly as I say without asking... a single question... Alright?"

He looked like he had several question and all of them had him apprehensive. Still, even though he had to swallow, he nodded and listened. I don't know what he was thinking, but at least he wasn't shooting me down.

I took a deep inhale, before sighing it back out and closing my eyes for a moment... Then, I explained the plan. "I need for you to run back to the school and wait there for Susie."

Struck by outrage, he shook his head and blurted, "No freaking way! I _am not_ going _**near**_ her!"

I scowled and shouted, "We don't have time for this! Noelle's life might well be on the line! And Susie is the only other person that can help for sure!"

He furrowed his brows at the mention of Noelle. " ... B-but what about the teachers? The police? This isn't a job for us kids!"

In a harsh whisper to myself, I asked no one in particular, "Did I **NOT** say _'without asking a single question?'_ " ... I shook my head and walked toward him. Then, my hands grabbed him by the shoulders as I stared him in the eyes, much to his fright. "I don't have time to explain everything to you and quite frankly, I'm betting you wouldn't believe me. My reason for needing Susie is that I don't know if anyone but us can defend ourselves in that place."

He squinted at me with a shaking head. "What makes you two so special?!"

I narrowed my eyes further and told him, "We've handled being in one of these before."

He squinted like he usually does. "Prove it!"

With a fed up groan, I pushed him away and onto the ground as I shouted, "I _said_ I don't have the time for this!" It left him surprised and startled.

Turning my back on him, I refaced the darkness as he picked himself up and I started to walk closer. His eyes grew wide. "W-wait, you're _really_ going in there?! It looks like the literal definition of Black Hole!"

I stopped and groaned, before turning my head and looking at him. "Yes. I am. Leaving this here isn't an option, even if Noelle **isn't** in there. So, I'm _**BEGGING**_ you to just **LISTEN** to me." Then, I looked back at the darkness and paused in consideration... What if we failed? Or if I got stuck somehow? Then, there wouldn't be anyone else left to stop up the Fountain... So, I added on to my request. "... After you get Susie to come here... keep this in mind. If we aren't back by tomorrow- heck, maybe even tonight... you might just **have** to tell the authorities."

With that said, the bird monster just stared at me with that nervous furrow in his brow... " Y-you... You're actually serious...!"

... I nodded my head. "Yes. I am. I made a promise I intend to keep... I'm only going to tell you this one more time. I **need** you to do what I said. Go back to the school, wait there for Susie and tell her what's going on. I don't care how long you have to wait for her. You wait there and tell her. Noelle's life might just depend on you doing exactly as I say... if she really has ended up in... _there_..." Turning back to face the the darkness, I finished with, "Consider what you have to do life or death. Maybe not even for you, but someone you care about. Okay? Because it might well be. And I hate to put that on _anyone_ , but I can't think of a better motivator."

After I had said my piece, he bowed his head and shook it as he shook all over. Swallowing, the bird shut his eyes for a moment and mumbled... something. Then, he raised his head back up and glared at me with his feather fists balled. " **F-FINE**! I-I'll do it! But you know that library fee you owe? W-well... **DOUBLED**! And I'd better get it for any hospital bills this earns me!"

I rolled my eyes through a chuckle. "Deal?"

He started to take steps back with a weakening glare. "G-good!" ... He suddenly whirled around and took off running, shouting, "You'd better bring Noelle back out if you see her!"

... When Berdly was finally gone, I started to walk forward into the darkness. It didn't take long before I was making that first step into the colorless, slowly expanding abyss. It took even less time to walk into the light-less void. I took a last look all around me. No light. Even the sun was nearly gone, a very murky light somewhere above the dark sheet overhead.

... This was different from the first time I had been in a place where Darkness spawned. Before, there was a clear light visible to lead me back to safety. However, when I took a look back, I saw only more darkness. I couldn't tell what was outside or inside the cloak of dark...

Though, as I turned back to the barely visible hole I was approaching, I noticed something else. Looking down and at myself, it was as if I was still being hit by the light. My body was fully visible, as was my every color...

It had never occurred to me, by the same thing had happened when I fell into the Dark World that first time. We had our color and were fully visible, even though there was sparse lighting at best, then no lighting after we got shut in.

I don't know the reason and I can only theorize it's because we don't belong to The Dark... Yet, after we fell in, the both of us went through some drastic changes. I don't know what all decides it. I just know that when the both of us got back to the Light World, everything equipped and all articles of clothing we had on were gone and replaced by a small wad of junk... or changed into something else.

Susie, having been equipped with Jevil's Tail, actually **grew** a tail that fit her species to some degree. That's right. She previously didn't have one. I can only guess it's because Jevil was some incarnation of pure chaos. Though... Never mind. That will come later.

... Either way, back to what I was doing. I was about to take my leap.

Looking back up at the hole, I took a deep breath and calmed myself as much as someone about to take a plunge into a bottomless hole could...

My legs hesitated at first... I was understandably scared, despite the fact that I had done this before. The first time was involuntary, after all.

Then... I jogged... and then ran ahead, full speed. In my mind, it was the best way to power through any fears. Closer and closer the hole drew. I was almost at the lip before I knew it. And then...

The ground beneath my feet gave way. I gasped as my eyes grew wide and I suddenly fell forward into the dark abyss.

I tumbled down into the blackness and let out a scream, the feeling of my stomach doing flips in mid-air acrobatic routine!

... And I spiraled through that darkness for an unclear period of time, until I was almost used to the feeling of nausea.

I could no longer see my own light after a time, like a flame going out...

And then...

 _ **-BOOM!-**_

... I woke up with a groan, my everything sore, but nothing broken or messed up... Forcing myself to sit up, I sighed hard and groaned yet again, rubbing at my side. "Ugh... How many times.. do I have to fall a couple hundred feet in one week...?"

... Looking at myself, I noticed I was wearing that armor again. The silver and leather armor encased me in a simplistic design that allowed for full range of movement. A hard, shining breast plate, small, round pauldrons over my shoulders, a pair of silver gauntlets with leather grip that only truly covered up my hands and wrists, and two silver plated armored boots. Other details included an over-the shoulder pink and blue cape that had been torn away around my elbow, nothing covering my arms and a body suit of black leather covering everywhere else up to my neck and down into my boots.

... Though, something WAS different this time. I had a small Satchel bound to a red belt around my waist. A lemniscate (∞) was painted over it's belly. It was in the same place where I usually drew my sword and took out any other items. (Or put them away.) And that would be over one of my pockets, but that's beside the point. (Don't ask me how I fit an entire cake in there- I-I don't know. The Dark World's weird.)

Checking inside, I found much of what I had the last time I was in the Dark World, plus a whole lot more. Some items looked like armors. Others looked like weapons. Still others seemed to be unknown consumables. Though, my sword was not inside. Checking my pockets, I could feel the hilt inside my left one. I left it there for now. Probably should have looked at it, though.

My skin was blue, yet again because of the nature of the Dark World. And my hair now _also_ carried a very dark tint of blue as well. I previously chalked it up to the poor lighting, but that wasn't the case.

... When I started thinking about my changed appearance, I somehow trailed off back to the reason I came here. Noelle. I needed to find her.

I pushed myself up and onto my feet, my metal armor clicking and clanking against itself a little. Then, for the first time, I looked around and took in my surroundings.

An autumn forest of massive proportions and gargantuan flora. A dark-trunked tree was a colossus. A mushroom was my size. A single blade of moss growing off of a tree was a mushroom. The only flora that was normal sized was the grass, which was faded yellow in color. Huge, autumn color, arrow-shaped leaves lay scattered all over said grass from the trees. There was no way to see the sky passed those trees with orange leaves too full to let it through.

Blue fire flies lit the area a little bit, even if I could see well enough without them. There was only one clear path due east. Though, I could hardly call it as much. It was only a path because the trees seemed to be leading me that way. They were packed unusually close together, otherwise. I'm sure that if I had to, I could squeeze through, though.

Regardless, I didn't take that chance.

Instead, I chose to follow the path, unfamiliar with this place.

This was definitely not the "Kingdom of Aces," as Ralsei called it in his message. It was probably the "Autumn Vale" he spoke of. (I mean, pretty obviously, considering the look of the place.)

...

I squinted down at the ground at a leaf with a bucket's worth of water in it... ... ... I realized pretty quickly that it didn't just have peculiarly mirror-like water within it. There was also... a glinting silver light shining above both.

Approaching it by pure habit, I reached out with my armored hand and grasped it as I felt the mysterious energy of this place shine within me...

What does that feel like? Well, it's like a wave of relief washing over you and a surge of renewed vigor. Any injuries I had before touching these sparks of light were also wiped away. That meant the bruises from yesterday while fighting the King of Spades and Jevil suddenly evaporated right off of my body.

I took a deep breath in relief and sighed, stretching in place. "Oh **man** , that feels good! Weird Sparkles of Light, I have _missed_ you guys!"

After my little relief exercise, I went about walking further through the dark, autumn forest. The further in I got, the more perplexing that place became. Creatures here weren't just _odd_. They were **weird**. At one point, I thought I saw a head-sized beetle with leaves for wings and diamond shaped nostrils that glowed one color and then another where eyes should be. In another moment, there was this rabbit the size of a small hill- except it was reptilian and covered in thick, armor-like scales and jagged points that would **suck** to get "poked" by. It had splintered horns pointing up from it's head, inward. Blue in color, it looked at me with it's blacked-out eyes and blinked, sniffing the air.

I went on edge and reached into my pocket, drawing my sword... But I quickly grew confused when I saw it. It was full metal instead of wood, now, and there was a black substance coating the blade. It was also a more refined shape. I cocked my brow for a moment, then I refocused on the "rabbit," hoping that the sword still worked the same if it turned out hostile...

... Lucky for me, the creature seemed to quickly lose interest and hop away, it's bounds heavy thuds against the ground as it soon vanished passed the trees...

I blinked, then sighed in relief, before saving up my sword back in my pocket and moving on.

Moving on further, the path wound to the right, then it split. one path went straight ahead and looked bigger, but the other curved jagged to the left and was thin. I groaned through irritation and folded my arms. "Great... And which way did Noelle go, I wonder..."

... The large leaves, no matter their size or shape, were still just autumn leaves. When someone someone steps on an autumn leaf, it gets ripped or torn easily because of frail brittleness. And that's what I saw. A bunch of scattered autumn leaves as big as a piece of paper that had multiple tears and holes put through them, all in the wide path.

Nodding with that rational, I began my way down the straight and wide path.

 _ **-chi-ka-chi-ka-chi-ka-chi-ka-chip!-**_

Gasping sharply at the crunch of leaves on side of, then to my left, I whirled left as I caught sight of something moving too quick to follow behind me! I turned around again and tried to catch a clear sight of it... But by the time I had, It had already climbed off of the path beyond a large tree root...

I stared wide-eyed at the spot where it disappeared, firmly placed on high alert... I reached into my pocket and pulled my sword back out purely for precautionary reasons. Then, I made a low shout out to my unknown stalker. "Hello...?! I-I come in peace! I'm just looking for a deer monster!"

... No response other than the ambience of falling leaves wafting down through the air...

... Deciding it was a better judgement that I leave, I cautiously backed my way down my chosen path while watching my surroundings. Then, I turned around mid-walk and started to navigate forward, on guard for any imminent attacks. I was so alert that the falling leaves were enough to draw my attention and the tiny critters- I found out they were some sort of tiny cat-like creatures upon inspection- were the only new living things I found any time I looked.

Still... Every now and then, I'd feel a pair of eyes peering into my back...

... I snagged a foot with a grunting gasp and fell forward! Thankfully, I caught myself before I went smashing into the ground... And then, I hummed in question at what I saw. Stone. mixed in with everything else... I turned my attention up again as I pulled myself back up a bit. Parts of the path's grass, dirt and leaf taken form began to show a very, very worn down stone walk-way. It looked older than the dirt itself and was utterly ravaged...

I suddenly remembered I was potentially being tailed, so I quickly righted myself and readied my sword again, eying my surrounding areas while taking taller steps to keep from tripping...

That wore on me quickly, however. I was going way too slow. Noelle was probably still out there somewhere and she needed help. So, I started to jog the path. the trees seemed to be leading me through the path's many twists and turns as if they were walls. I encountered more signs of fallen civilization along my way, too. Fallen pillars completely coated by moss. a broken archway on my right totally overgrown and draped by greenery. I moved passed it... but quickly stopped when I looked up from the path and realized this was where it ended. The trees had totally barred the straight way forward, having twisted together in a gnarly fashion to ensnare a sort of stone structure. It could have been a church or it could have just been an upper-class cobblestone home... Either way, there was no way to enter with the roots having totally grown through it's door and windows.

... I dreaded it, but I had no choice but to turn back and look for a different way...

Walking back, I turned my head and looked down the arch way, then stopped as I realized it hadn't been blocked up. And so, I jogged inside and began to follow down it's ancient and decrepit length.

It was darker inside than it was outside. It also felt colder. The floor and ceiling was cover in mildew and small moss. Parts of it had crumbled outward and pieces of it's roof had fallen down into the walk-way, but I could navigate it with some stepping around. I was actually oddly thankful for those breaks in structure. It was surprisingly... or maybe unsurprisingly brighter outside than it was inside. There weren't any light sources, after all. Just molded, unlit torches that were either on the ground or mounted to the wall. Either or, they were like this structure. Abandoned...

After a while, the way forward through the archway suddenly ended. Though, A break in the wall led out. Obviously, that was where I left.

Back outside, the forest seemed to catch a less greeting atmosphere filled with a mist. Almost a fog, but I could see through it... I could see through the tree line in places, now, though all that awaited overhead was a black sky. I couldn't see any black geysers or anything like a Dark Fountain. Not yet.

Redirecting my eyes back forward, I looked around while I continued on, clutching my sword's handle with an iron grip. If it were still a wooden sword, I would have worn grooves.

In the mist, I could see figures ahead... or so I thought. When I jogged up to them, it turned out to be nothing but a bunch of pillars that had yet to fall over or were broken in half... I shuddered to think of how the latter happened. I had seen a creature I was _certain_ could have done it, but it was too big to fit through the archway.

 _ **-Snap!-**_

I oh'd loud as I whirled around at the distant sound of something snapping. Though, I saw nothing but the pillars and the way I'd come... I hadn't realized I was sweating bullets until then. I let my sword fall to my side as I sighed and wiped my face off with my cape. I felt pathetic. Here I was, meant to be rescuing someone and yet getting spooked by everything around me. [Being alone make things a hell of a lot worse when you re lost in the Dark.] Those were my thoughts...

... And then, I thought of how terrified Noelle had to have been if _**I**_ was feeling this. Any time I had doubts or worries, that one thought **made** me suck it up. And so, I did. I sucked in a lung of air and readied my sword again, before turning back around and continuing forward...

 _"A human..."_

Gasping, I stopped again and began to frantically search for who said. ... But I saw no one...

My brow quivered and I was getting frustrated. I directed a shout up and said, "Hey! I know you're out there, so stop messing with me already!"

... But nobody came out. I searched around as much as I could, but there weren't any movements beside the mist on the air wafting by...

I could hardly think straight. Apprehensive of everything that moved, I was definitely getting a very clear vibe. Something didn't like that I was there... I pressed on anyway. Whether wanted or not, I just had to find my friend. Then, I needed to search out the fountain and seal it. That was what I kept at the forefront of my mind, trying to bury my fear.

... Further on, the mist got thicker. the trees were still clear, as were the crunches my boots made going through Autumn leaves. There was no way I could hide from an enemy in any way. That was for certain. Though, that was the thing. If there were an enemy or at least something that I could label dangerous that was in clear sight, I might have felt less afraid...

When I took another turn, I stepped in something that made a splash. Turning my attention down, I realized it was only water.

 ** _-Shi-shi-shi! Shi-shi-shi-shi!-_**

Down around me came very arrow heads shaped much like the leaves of this forest! They splished and splashed and embedded themselves into the ground just beneath the water at my feet, much to my gasping surprise! I immediately whipped my head up to see figures that stood on two legs clinging to the tree line! I couldn't see them clearly, but they obviously didn't care for me. The first thing I saw them all do was whip an arm out as that sound from before returned... as did the arrowheads flying right at me!

I immediately went on the run as I used my sword to swat one of two away, the rest coming to splash down into the water! I didn't know where I was going and I didn't care! All I knew was that I was under attack!

As more arrows sailed swift my way, I zigged out of the way, then zagged away from several other. I had to use my sword to beat away one that nearly nailed me in the chest. At this point, a sword was superfluous. I needed a shield!

And that's what I gave myself while I ran, holding my sword out as it flashed with a light and transformed into a kite shield, just as it had always done before when I wanted to DEFEND. And I **definitely** wanted to defend!

Wearing the shield over my arm, I soon came to hold it over my head while I serpentined my way around the arrowheads. Though, the plink against my shield mixed with the shudder that sent through it told me I was still in danger loud and clear!

I looked ahead and spotted the path of tree splintering down the middle. Cursing my luck, I didn't have time to pick one! I just swerved left, narrowly avoiding several arrowheads to the back that instead sunk themselves into a tree!

As I ran down the path, it opened up further. Not only did the water start to get deeper, but attacks began to come from more than just the treeline. They came from in between trees from left to right! I could no longer just run through them, since my legs were getting bogged down in the water. I chalked it up to adrenaline that I wasn't totally spent, but now I was using that shield for real!

I guarded left, swat right! Arrows came from all over at me and I had no choice but to guard against them in any way I could! They splished in the water just around me each time I deflected or guarded against them.

But it was inevitable. One finally got through my shoddy defensive and stuck me in the unoccupied arm! "Augh!" I reached around with my other arm's hand and went to pull it out as multiple others fell around me and narrowly missed. When I grasped it, the weapon suddenly shined before fading into non-existance, something that I wasn't unaccustomed to seeing, but it confirmed that my attackers were using magic to attack.

 _ **-Shi-shi-shi-shi-shi!-**_

Gasping back into focus, I turned around and held my shield high as an arrow shot right passed my line of vision, but regardless landed a glancing slice through my cheek, much to my fright! I held the shield higher as several arrows found themselves plinking off of out, bouncing into the water and evaporating!

I could feel the water's current growing stronger on my legs as I backed up. The attacks were no longer striking from anywhere but behind and they _**weren't**_ letting up! I grunt against them as my arm started to hurt from all the hard vibrations!

"C-crap!"

... It was my only hope. I had to try reasoning. So, I shouted, " **Please, stop! I don't know wh-who you** **are-** ugh! **But I** **am not your enemy!** "

... The arrows kept coming! _They wouldn't stop!_

At this point, my arm was ready to give out, utterly numbed by all the hits my shield was taking! I just kept backing up as I brought my injured arm to help brace against the endless stream of attacks as I backed up again... And suddenly... my foot fell, me going down with it as I yelped!

 _ **-Splash!-**_

I had fallen into the deepest part of this body of water- apparently a river of some kind- and been swept tumbling away in the current. It took everything I had to right myself again and swim up. I emerged at the top of the water and gasped, coughing out the little bit of water that forced itself into my throat, but the current suddenly dipped and I fell back under!

I tried again to right myself, but instead, the water did it for me and I ended up coming back up, gasping in another breath of air right before it forced me under again.

This process felt endless and I'm almost one-hundred percent sure that I just gave in on trying to hover on the face of the water, letting this body of water carry me away like a glorified ragdoll...

I didn't know many things. Up from down, left from right, where I would end up or what mess was waiting for me when I got there or even where Noelle was, if she was even here...

... All I can remember last is getting snagged on something by the wrist, then looking up and seeing a blurry, darkly colored figure... And then, passing out when my head fell with a sigh... ... ...

... ... ...

* * *

 _You ever got that feeling when you arrive at the party and someone **ALREADY** wants you to leave?_

 _Yeah, I guess that's how Kris feels here, huh?_

 _Either way, I decided to work my butt off to get this chapter out tonight at some point... n ;;; I just didn't think it would be f! $ing 2 AM before I finished the accursed thing! Over half of this was written in one sit-down! I need **help**!_

 _That said, I am sure that some errors slipped through the cracks of my sleep-deprived watch, so if you chance upon them, be sure to let me know._

 _Another thing. Don't expect the next chapter for a few days. Going hard on this one has left me to re-evaluate the prospect of trying to get it done **way** too fast. It leaves the eyes dry and the throat drier. Sooo, I think I'll be taking a small break from writing tomorrow._

 _But yeah. This happens to mean you need to wait an extra chapter or so in order to see Dark World Noelle. I did that for a reason, too._

 _Why would they magically meet up just like that merely because they fell into the same hole? They didn't fall down together like Susie did with Kris. For all we know, Noelle could have ended up anywhere in Autumn. That's not exactly good for her, but it's realistic. And beyond that, I doubt even she would just sit there and wait for Kris to fall down and join her._

 _She's a smart cookie. A frail one, but smart. That said, who knows what I'll come up with in the end!_

 _Anyways, enough of my ramblings. The tireder I get, the more I talk. And I definitely don't want to start spoiling stuff.  
_

 _And so! I vanish!_


	7. P6: Homesick Already

... I'm not sure exactly when I woke up in the Dark World, but considering Kris wound up in there shortly after me, I couldn't have been out that long. I wouldn't have just left them wherever they fell, scared or not. Then again, we could've been in two different places all together...

I groaned and tossed over from my uh... "nap"... and sat up. "Ough... What happened to me...?" Thinking about it, that was a pretty dumb question. I immediately remembered exactly what happened. I fell down a bottomless pit that opened up inside the woods after... Well... You know...

... I frowned and hung my head. "Oh..." And then, I immediately there-after became aware of my situation with frown. Looking around, I realized I was in a dark forest where the trees were utter **behemoths**... along with.. pretty much **every** **other** **form of flora**. My teeth bit into my lower lip while I rose to my feet and whined in distress.

My first thought was, [Did I shrink?! **Everything is so huge!** ]

Of course, that couldn't have been the case, I realized, since these trees, the giant mushrooms, the trees that were grown around large, stone pillars- none of it so much as vaguely resembled the woods in town.

I looked down and at my hooves as they clacked against a stone walkway of some sort. It was overgrown by the forest around me, tree roots ensnaring it on several sides and dirt caking almost all of it with grass to accompany. The path looked like it had never been maintained. it was simply built and then left to rot, as far as I could tell.

Though, I jumped at what I saw while I was looking down. I began to look myself over and found out that I was dressed up in all these strange clothes and gear! "W-wha?! Where did these clothes come from?"

I was dressed up in some sort of outfit totally made up of natural or raw materials. I looked at one with SOME forest, but it wasn't this one.

The dress over my body was long and made of many composite pieces. It was all over the place, though. It was a kind of flowery robe made mainly of red and green... rose petals, I think. Or at least, that's what they looked like. One side had a sleeve while the other did not, merely hugging my body and passing under an arm while cupping said side's breast in a green petal curled outward.

Thin vines of... mistletoe(?) (that's not how mistletoe is supposed to work, but it WAS mistletoe) lined the sleeve and lead down across my chest, then split into two directions. One vine set crossed over the un-sleeved shoulder and rounded to the back. The other crossed over my body, down over my hip and rounded around back to meet the aforementioned vine over my bare shoulder in back. The dress's skirt was formed over several red and green"petals" with curled outward edges favoring my right leg.

The entire dress was speckled in white flakes and small "mosses" with red berries on the edge of my skirt.

Looking over my arms with concern and blush in equal, I realized the one arm left alone by the dress wore a flared, red petaled, loose sleeve held up on my arm by a leather buttoned band. My other arm wore an arm band of green leaves and leather. On the same hand, a red ribbon glove wrapped itself around my hand, tight. It appeared to be a sort of silk.

Looking down and stretch out a leg, I came to see that my legs were wrapped in rough, leather straps down to my hooves. Once again, no footwear. Out of all the changes I had taken on, feet were not one of them... Though they DID seem to be painted a dark green.

... Blinking, I came to realize my head had a few things on it, as well. Taking my hands and feeling around the crown of it, I found an actual crown of some kind. Taking it off, I looked at it and found it to be a laurel crown composed like a Christmas wreath and with a single golden flower on it... I kind of thought it was cute, but I really didn't know how it got there, along with the rest of the outfit.

Furrowing my brows, I decided to place it back on my head for the time being. Checking myself over one more time, I spotted two other things. One. My ears were pierced by white berry, hanging earrings. Two, When I actually fixed my hair from it's apparent, I had pulled it into view once or twice and finally taken notice of the fact that it was now a lighter shade of blond... That troubled me.

I didn't know the nature of the Dark World back then. I didn't even know I was in it or even what it was! For all I could tell, some creep had just gotten done dressing me up in a fantasy outfit before dumping me off in some forest!

... ... ... Sorry. That was a little much. Uhm. Anyways...

Another thing I found when I was investigating myself... I found a pocket. Something was in it. It felt big, despite the fact that the pocket wasn't very big at all. I pulled it out... and out... and out... It was a long, gnarled staff with a large emerald and ruby combo gem in it's head, much to my utter disbelief. My eyes were as wide as dinner plates... I soon began to sweat a little as my face curved uncomfortably under an incredulous grin. "W-what the heck...?! How did _**that**_ fit in my _**pocket**_?!"

... When I gained some sense back, I took the staff in both of my hands and looked around again... I didn't even know where I was meant to go. There were several ways I could have gone, but I ended up going the safest route; I went along the worn-out stone path.

I was hoping to at least find people. Someone that could tell me where I was and help me.

I was scared, sweaty, stuck in a dress I never remembered putting on for a costume party I never knew about and never got to. And to top everything off, I felt horrible for what I put Berdly through...

While walking that path, I started to hear sounds of increasingly close scraping and clawing that made me jump and whine, shivering. I turned all around and eventually found myself looking at a hollow in a huge tree being carved out by a very big, white furred "squirrel"... Though, this was only kind of a squirrel because of it's bushy tail and somewhat thick back end... Still... Even if it HAD been a "squirrel", It was twice my size with just the backside showing and much thicker... I couldn't bring myself to stop shaking and I didn't want to get near it...

I tried to step around it, being as quiet as I could with my hooves as I held my staff out at the ready, never taking my eyes off of the "squirrel" as it carved into the tree noisily. My steps were becoming shuffles, because I was trying to keep my noisy hooves from making a sound. I was too scared to try and walk, even with the idea that it might not be able to hear me over it's own clawing...

And that led me to getting my foot stuck on a root, much to my yelping fright, before I went falling down and over into the rooted stone! I fumbled down on the ground while my staff was dropped from my hands and clattered noisily against the stone blocks!

suddenly, the scratching and crunching of burrowing stopped... My worst fear, if my horrified expression wasn't clue enough.

Suddenly, the creature backed it's body out of the tree... and revealed to me exactly how long it was. It was not a squirrel. It took a whole ten seconds to withdraw it's enormous and long body from the tree... And then, it faced me with sharp, deep blue, glowing eyes that possessed four-pointed star pupils, which were sharpened on my shivering and sorry form. The face had an intense, black fur pattern pattern, making it look constantly overshadowed. The muzzle was pointed and 's ears were canine and pointed directly up, sharp. It's entire form, now that it wasn't overshadowed, I could see was littered with an indescribable, tribal fur pattern.

The claws on all eight of it's legs were out and sharpened into razor hooks a single claw would be enough to stab through me...

And when it saw me... I froze... I couldn't move and my breathing was rapid. I could feel my heart hammering and my blood draining from my face.

It was like a big, fluffy, _**vicious**_ dragon.

I didn't want to move. That was the truth of it. I couldn't hope to beat that thing, even if I _were_ that brave to try.

... But it soon began to growl and sink it's head down to me. I gasped and finally scrambled forward for my staff, taking it in my hands and holding it close for my own comfort!

It let me, I think, because it knew there was nothing I could do that would hurt it. Then it bared it's massive teeth in my face, snorting over me through a growl. I sat there as my eyes grew wider still and leaked tears, unable to keep from whimpering. I couldn't tear my eyes away, even though I didn't want to see it. "P-please no...!"

It snarled and pulled it's head back as it opened wide. And then, it drove it's sharp-toothed maw down toward me!

I gasped and held my staff up in defense, shutting my eyes tight and screaming at the top of my lungs! " **NO!** "

There was a high pitched hum over the beast's snarl... And then... nothing. I was expecting it's teeth to gnash down into me at a second's notice... but they never came down around me.

... Still whimpering and shaking like a leaf, I slowly dared to peak an eye open... And I was left... confused along with apprehensive...

My staff's body had turned white and the compound gem was glowing a bright green and red. As it was returning to normal, my eyes moved beyond it as I was startled into gasping and scrambling back... The beast. It had stopped and was staring at me with a calmer, more at peace expression, it's pupils no longer sharped and it's teeth nowhere to be seen passed it's lips. Not even it's claws were out anymore...

... This further confused me as I furrowed my brows and lowered my head. "H-huh...?"

The beast tilted it's head and made a low rumbling. It moved it's head in on me as it took a step forward, much to my gasping terror. I curled up on myself as it's nose began to sniff over me much like a dog would. I couldn't move.

And I guess that made the face that it licked me over much more comically when I yelped and fell on my side.

I peeked an eye open as it continue to lick me over, much as it started to tickle me. I couldn't help it. I cracked up and started giggling from the rough tongue lapping me over and tried to put a hand out. "Ehee-hee-hee! Stooop-hahaa!" ... And it did. It actually listened and pulled it's head back, rumbling at me with a tilt.

I was left very confused myself, blinking up at it's large face... Now that I thought about it, the creature was like Susie, in a way. It looked scary, but maybe it was misunderstood. I couldn't help but smile, despite being dripped from slobber. "Y-you're not bad, are you? Just a bit different..."

I hadn't realized that I made it act this way. I'm sure you can guess how, but at the time, I had no clue.

Still, it suddenly rose up from me, much to my surprise, and stared down at me for an extended moment... Then, it leapt up and ringed around the tree as it flew away into the sky above, it's long body vanishing into the dark of the sky and leaving me in awe...

I stood up and dusted myself off, but...

"Your magics tamed a Shulong..."

I nearly jumped out of my fur with a shriek, whirling around and swinging my staff in defense! The one behind me caught it's gem encrusted head in their odd, three fingered, red-furred hand, however.

I immediately looked up and into the person's... mask. It was made of tree bark and shaped like a leaf. The eye holes carved out were sharp. Piercing, even. I couldn't see the eyes beyond them.

The person's body was a bit like a satyr's, but with notable differences. For instance, their legs were not goat-like. They were fox-like with tiny feet, but thick muscle. So were their ears, their tips black and notched. Their tails was large and bushy like a fox's as well, but there were three thin appendages growing from that same base like furry tentacles, all of which were prehensile by the way they moves and curled every so often.

There was also the three finger hands with retractable, serrated claws. They reminded me of furry bird talons, but were not quite right.

Some unique features to this individual? Curled, white horns that grew out of the side of their head and then spiked straight up. Long, uncut hair the same color as their fur. White speckles all over their thighs and forearms. And a white belly. They wore orange rags of foliage over their top half, like a poncho, and a skirt of large red flower petals much simpler than my own...

I really couldn't tell what gender they were. They looked like both at the same time. Hah. Kind of reminds me of _someone_.

But in all seriousness, their lack of action made me apprehensive of what they intended... Then, much to my growing confusion, they just let go of my staff and stared at me before stepping back. "The Vale has bestowed a Bright One with it's trusted gift... But I see your fear, girl."

I furrowed my brows and withdrew my staff into my arms with a frown, stepping back. "W-who wouldn't be afraid when they d-don't know where they are...?"

They shook their head and scoffed. "Yes. However, I am not referring to such trivial fears. I am referring to it's large place within your heart... You are a **coward**." The name stung enough to make me bow my head and frown further. While backing away, they went on. "I cannot fathom the reason for which you were gifted power. If you are a chosen daughter, you've little to offer in aid of the Vale." I didn't even know what that meant, but I knew I was a coward for earlier... And it ate me up inside that I was that terrible a friend.

The fox-like satyr stopped and stared at me. "If that stings you, then prove me wrong and save this forest of it's blight. Stop the Black Geyser and heal the Vale's wound. We need not **RED EYE** 's unnatural curse."

I shook my head and huffed. "I don't know what any of that means! And I'm not who you think I am! I'm just a school kid!"

They shook their head yet again. "It matters not what you are or what you know. All will be clear to you in time, should you merely observe." ... They tilted their head down and swished their odd tail. "Heed this warning. Do no trust our Shepard. Their reasoning has been poisoned. And they would attempt to poison yours..."

I wanted to asked them more, but a chilled wind blew through the air and made me shiver. I was wearing some awful clothing for the cold...

... Yet, the person seem to raise their head and look in the direction from where it blew... "... I see... Another Bright One has fallen from above... My people will surely greet them..." They turned to face me one last time and said, "I must take this moment to leave. Our paths may cross in the future, but hopeful in the time between you abandon a measure of cowardice. May the leaves serve as your boon, all the same..."

And then, they crouched low, before shooting up in an insanely powerful jump up into a nearby tree. From there, several more jumps carried them from tree to distant tree... until they vanished...

... I was in awe of the feat for an extended moment... before their words began to sink in as my head sunk down, a miserable frown on my face... They were right. And that's why it hurt so bad.

... In that moment... all I wanted to do was go home... And I didn't think I could... That thought finally brought me to soft sobbing hiccups...

Still, some part of me was aware enough not to just stay there, so I started to move on down the stone path, trying to merely keep moving and hoping by some miracle that I would end up where I wanted to go...

... I know it sounds like I'm trying to draw upon sympathy... But actually, I'm not. I deserved every wake-up call I got. After all... What was a little coward going to do if her friends were in danger...?

... ... ...

... I followed the stone path for what felt like a long while. I didn't have a real idea of where I was going. It was really just wandering around in the dark (no pun intended) down the only path I recognized as such.

Creatures here looked like something straight out of those super detailed animated movies by that one guy that likes animating everything to be as strange as possible. In a sense, they were like Monsters. Many of us resemble animals in obvious or passive ways, but are ultimately something entirely different in some ways more than others.

And beyond just looking weird, the food chain was backwards. Incredibly so...

I saw a gazelle-like creature with spine plates down it's back eating some sort of tiny loin-like creatures with way too many legs that crawled out from holes in the ground. It bent it's long neck down, snapped them up one by one like they were popcorn and - ... You get the idea. In the moment, it appalled me enough to draw out a small retch. I just backed away from the scene, before full on jogging away, merely wanting to get away from there as quickly as possible. It had to have heard my clopping hooves, but I guess it didn't care.

... Beyond the animals, the forest itself was strange no matter what angle you looked at it from. Just about everything had a flat color to it that made it look unnatural. When the sky is as dark as what I was seeing, you'd expect the world to be just as dark. But no. Everything had flat color to it, for the most part. I had no shadow. The trees gave no shade. Even the clouds just barely visible in the sky didn't make anything below them any darker.

... I started to feel like I was on an incline after a while, much to my dull realization. I looked up and hummed at what I saw.

What I saw was a stone bridge that had seen it's better days. Have you ever seen those post-apocalyptic movies where the protagonists happen upon a bunch of broken down overpasses? This bridge looked like one of those. Tons of broken arches running over it that had mostly fallen apart or at least were cracked up messes. Some holes in the pathway that went all the way through to the ground below. The guard rails of stone were superfluous with all of their missing or fallen off pieces.

I whined through my frown at the look of the thing. It was a safety hazard of potential architectural failure. I didn't want to traverse it, but it looked like the only way forward the way I had been traveling.

With a sigh, I just began my ascension up the questionable path while keeping my eyes on the ground for "pit falls".

I walked around one, then made sure to step over a small other that would have trapped my leg. From there, I walked a ways over what appeared stable enough ground... Only to hear and **feel** a cracking beneath my hooves! I quickly hopped forward with a shriek, just as a large slab of the stone walkway crunched and fell away where I had been standing before! I spilled over arms and staff first when I reached solid ground ahead of the newly forming hole! The large piece crumbled into several before falling away down toward the forest ground below!

Picking myself up into a leaning sit, I turned to look at the gaping hole and frowned through a frightened frustration. I flinched as I heard the falling debris hit the ground below with a resounding -thomb!-

Immediately after, I growled and shouted, " **I HATE THIS PLACE** ," into the sky above...

After picking myself up and dusting off, I began to climb the iffy broken bridge again, the air becoming colder as my altitude increased. By the time I finally reached the top of the huge arch bridge, I had to have been at least three-hundred or so feet off the ground. It could have been more. The trees rivaled that height, but I could finally see _**over**_ them, even if just barely.

Rubbing my arms and hugging my staff, I came to a stop. My legs were sore, I was cold, my head hurt from an increase of pressure and I wanted to go home- but that last part's not important. The first thing I did when I got up there was look down... I frowned at what I saw...

The bridge was snapped multiple times over, but a long enough portion existed that could safely (enough) lead me down from where I was standing without me taking a deadly slide down a horrible slope. This was thanks not to ingenuity on the bridge builder's part, but the roots and trees of the forest having ensnared a large portion of the bottom side of the snapped side of the bridge... Honestly, from this angle, it almost looked like the forest was trying to **DEVOUR** it.

... Looking on over more of the bridge's length, It was easily longer than just the two pieces that led up and down. At least a mile long, it could have previously been a landmark to an ancient civilization...

Whatever the case, it lead outward through a sea of orange leaves to a ruined castle-town overgrown by massive flora. Reddish roots bound together like the world's largest rope wrapped down upon the outer-walls, leaving them "worse for ware." I could tell, even at that distance. I couldn't see the actual town very well, but I could tell by the orange and red sprouting up from within the walls by branches that the town had to be overrun by the flora as well.

The castle itself was grand in scale, but utterly ravaged and overgrown by greenery... But it was the highest spire that caught my eye and made me take a step back. My expression was both awe and fear, eyes wide, mouth agape and brows furrowed.

It was what that person had mentioned. A Black Geyser bursting from the ruined spire... It spewed upward and pierced the clouds, leaving a massive, drilled out hole. And it went even further than that. Further than I could see. It seemed to go higher than the sky itself...

The very sight filled me with anxiety. I could feel the sweat running down my face and wetting my palms... I wasn't about to go near that.

And so, I shook my head and sighed through shut tight eyes... Then, I looked out in any other direction I could as my eyes opened again. I kept them from making contact with that sight again, searching for anything else of interest... A large group of white lights down in middle of the forest east of the castle-town drew my attention next.

I couldn't make out what was over there, but a group of lights could easily mean people. Maybe I could ask for their help. That was my thought on the matter. And it was all I had to go on as far as desirable destinations... But that still meant that I had to navigate this nightmare of a forest...

... I whined at the prospect, fearful of what I might encounter... though, I didn't have another option. Taking a deep breath to clear my head, I then thought to myself about home. My dad. My mom. My little sister... Susie... Kris, too... I even thought a little of Berdly, despite everything... I wanted to see everyone again.

Sighing out, I grew more focused on the task at hand, firming my brow and clutching over my chest at my anxious heart. Thinking of them, I began my cautious walk down the snapped portion of the bridge.

... And that's what helped me cope. I wanted to go home and see my family and friends again... more than I was afraid of that forest...

* * *

 _At least out of every other phobia on the list, Noelle isn't afraid of heights._

 _To help continuity's sake, this takes place somewhat before Kris wakes up, but might also "end" at the same time they fall into the river. Noelle has been awake longer, obviously. (Speaking of the river, I was going to describe it as well, but then I realized... How the hell would Noelle see it through a literal **sea of orange leaves?** So, I cut it.)  
_

 _Can I also say that Noelle's costume WAS A **NIGHTMARE** TO DESCRIBE? I don't want to tell you exactly what uh... "class" she is meant to be. Just know that it isn't any she has been illustrated as thus far. Not a White Mage. Obviously not a Bard or an Archer. She would have comfortably fit into the role of Bard and White Mage. I'm not saying she wouldn't have. But I wanted to go for something more unconventional, especially since Ralsei is technically already a White Mage._

 _And for those who might be wondering why the forest feels empty, I'm not really trying to go for encounters like the game had. The monsters encountered thus far that were sapient either hopelessly outnumbered someone or were not hostile. And the Shulong attacked Noelle while she didn't know what she was doing and still doesn't. Otherwise, more often than not, none-sapient monsters won't attack what doesn't threaten them, unless they consider the party prey._

 _That said, I could have gone for that here, but I'd rather examine things for a little while, THEN we can decide what fights back and why._

 _But yes. The monster types here are probably the most diverse and odd out of anywhere else in the Dark World. You'll see more of that in time._

 _Getting off of that, this chapter, as you could probably tell, was going to be shorter than the length it ended up at. I didn't feel like that was enough, so I wanted to take the time and illustrate more of what this place is like._

 _And yes. I know. Still no fluffy boy. I'm in the middle of a debate on who should meet up with Ralsei first, but I didn't want to have him come in just yet, since the Dark World is actually quite large. It would have taken him an even longer amount of time than what I'm going with for a convenience's sake._

 _Speaking of who meets who first, I would like to know what you guys think. Technically, Susie is also a candidate for meeting up with Ralsei, but she first needs to get into the Dark World to begin with. And her scene with (Mordecai) Berdly is already going to be a good bit of that chapter as well. Though, I'm not saying she couldn't meet up with him first purely by chance at some point... So, one of three people could meet up with Ralsei first: Kris, Susie or Noelle._

 _Lemme know what you guys think! Not just on that, but the story so far, as well. It's been pretty fun so far! ^^_


	8. P7: Odd Birds

U-uhm... Okay, so I am not Susie. It's still Noelle. But she'll be telling me what to say. She said that she's pretty bad at this sort of thing... So. Uhm. This will be a part told in third person. Sorry about that, if it bugs you...

... So. It all started before anything happened in the Dark World. Susie was checking out the Library that was mistakenly dubbed the "Librarby" because... ... ... Oh. My bad. That's not important. Sorry.

Anyways, she says this part is kind of weird, so I'm putting it in.

... So. When she was checking around for weird shadows, weird walls, holes in the floor or even small cracks between books that kinda looked darker than usual, she was coming up empty handed, much to her annoyance.

She moved to the back of the library toward a door in back next to the stairway. She didn't want to deal with the... weird guy blocking them just yet.

So, she walked up to the windowed door and raised a hand, before banging on the door more than necessary.

(It was **totally** necessary.)

Uhuh. Sure, Susie.

(Hmph.)

Anyways, the response she got was the-... Wait, there was a little white dog in there, on a chair, all alone, smiling at you?

(Yep.)

... You-you're serious.

(Yyyep.)

... Why am I even surprised at this point? We've seen weirder and worse. What's a little dog smiling compared to that...?

... Anyways, yeah. That. And he was apparently using the computer room to do something... ... ... Uuuh. And apparently, he waved a paw and shouted through the door in a small voice, "I'm making a game in here, so sorry about the next year or so~! But don't worry. Nothing weird in here besides me~!"

... So, it talked, too... You know what? I'm not going to ask anymore~. I feel like I'm just gonna end up growing white hairs at this rate if I do.

... So. Susie just stared in there for a long moment in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth puckered. She turned away and blinked, before telling herself. "I'm going bat-sh*t insane... Yup. Never looking in there again."

Shrugging her shoulders, she turned and sighed, looking at the weird bird person. He had a drooped head, a long neck and a body striped with yellow and blue... and he was naked... She says there wasn't anything to see, so don't get any ideas... He had a lazy look in his darkly circled eyes, yet he continued to smile.

She cocked a brow at him and shook her head. "Great. Time to talk to the weird-o with no clothes." Shoving her hands into her unbuttoned shirt's pocket, she tilted her head down and made her approach.

The man almost immediately took notice of her... but he just **stared** with that smile on his face. ... Okay, yeah. That's weird.

When she was right in front of him, she looked around... No one seemed to be looking their way. She returned her attention back to him and cleared her throat. "So. You gonna move out the way? I'm kind of in a hurry and you're in mine."

His smile widened and his eyes livened. "Well, everyone's in a hurry these days. But you know what you need to read back there? It's c-"

"Don't care," she cut in and tried her best to nudge passed him, much to his apparent distress. He forced his way back in front of her and even nudged her back from against his body- something she found both gross AND irritating. She glared at him, her eyes lighting up to outline her anger. "Hey! The hell is your problem?!"

Everyone in the library turned to look at the scene in confusion and alert. The green monster librarian with the glasses shot her a glare, but Susie claims she didn't really care.

(I didn't. Because the guy in front of me was just that **weird**.)

The large bird-like monster only grinned down at her with a desperate look in his eye. "I-I just need to tell you what to LOOK for! It's just going to take a _second_ ~!"

She was about ready to punch the guy's lights out, but as soon as she raised her fist, her ring tone went off from her phone... She looked down at her pocket and lowered her hand back into it, pulling the phone out with an exasperated sigh as it's screen lit up. Displayed was Kris's number.

Immediately, her irritation faded in light of a possible hope. She flicked "call" and held the phone up to her ear as she turned her back to the weird guy. She was about to say something, but Kris cut in faster than she could talk and said, "Oh, thank god it works. Susie, I found the en-"

Before she could hear the rest, the phone was snagged away from her by a blue hand, much to her gasping shock. She glared back over her shoulder as she turned to the bird man, who was speaking into the mic portion of the phone. "She can't talk right now, you rude person! She's talking to _**me**_ , you see!"

She growled and pushed in on the man's chest, trying to take her phone back as his smile visibly cracked, eyes wide with some sort of craze. She shouted, "Give that back _**now**_ , freak!"

His smile grew as he thumbed the "End" button, disconnecting the call. The screen was full of glitches, though, which was just as weird as the man himself. "They're not important~." And then, he tossed her back her phone, which almost sailed passed her over her head.

She swiped it from the air in a rush, having pushed the man away. "Damn it!"

Susie tried to call up the log for calls by thumbing around... but she couldn't get the screen to do anything. In fact, pretty much the only thing it _would_ do was make a **very** messed up unknown tone.

She growled at the man. "Idiot! You broke the damn thing!"

... ... ... But he was no where to be seen, much to her shock. She did a turn around, searching the immediate vicinity and the equally as perturbed faces staring her way for him... Shaking her head, she couldn't believe how he'd just seemed to vanish into the wood works.

... Susie stared at the librarian, who was rubbing her eyes in disbelief. "H-hey. Th-there was a bird guy a second ago, right?! Where did he go?!"

The librarian squeaked at her a little, before placing her glasses back on and nodding. "Y-yes, he was indeed there.. but... I-it's strange. I blinked for one second and he was gone..."

After hearing that, Susie groaned. She looked around at the staring face and asked them all, "Does **anyone** know that weird-o?! Anyone at all!"

... One by one, they all stared shaking their heads, before mumbling to themselves...

She squint at the scene, shaking her own head. "Great. Now how am I supposed to know whe-"

"I have to go now, sorry~!" She nearly jumped out of her scales looking around for the familiar voice of the bird monster.

... Susie shook her head as his voice concluded with, "Only good little monsters can find my favorite book~."

... She'd had enough, so she quickly walked out of the library while fooling with her phone. After she had opened the door, the screen suddenly cleared up and seemed just fine. The call log was up and Kris's was on top.

Groaning as she closed the door and began to walk toward the school, Susie redialed Kris's number and tried to get back in touch with them, putting the ear piece to her "ear"... But she got a strange and loud dial-up noise instead of the normal one, making her jerk the phone from herself with a disarmed grunt as she stared at the machine. ... And then it ended it's own call.

With a scrunched expression, she shook her head. "What the hell..."

Susie groaned shortly after and saved her phone back into her pocket. "Whatever. I'll just go back to the school..." And so, she started jogging back, grunting in complaint as her feet kept smacking her tail. "Ugh! Screw this stupid tail!"

...

... She arrived quickly back to the school, someone waiting in front of the entrance for her with a nervous expression and fidgety disposition about him.

It was Berdly, who hadn't seen her yet as he was staring at the ground and everywhere else before her.

She stopped in front of him and said, "Hey!"

And the bird monster nearly jumped a foot into the air, eyes wide and a yelp escaping his beak. "S-Susie!" He clenched his teeth and hissed his words through them. "W-what are y-you-"

"Save it, bird boy," she interrupted. Rude by the way.

(Ehh.)

The next thing she did was look around... before sighing and staring down at Berdly. "Look. I gotta talk to Kris. Where the frick are they?"

He started to sweat and back himself into the door, afraid of Susie like he thought she might do something else to him. "N-not... here..."

And the monster girl cocked her brow to that. She turned to stare at him for a second... Then squinted. "The hell does **that** mean? _Where are they, then?_ "

He shuddered and looked away from her, whining a little. "I-I..."

Giving him a bored stare, she tilted her head and walked closer. Her expression shifted to a glare. "Listen. Could you _not_ be a pissant for me for like, a _**SECOND**_ and just **spit it out**?"

He bowed his head, sweat dripping off of his beak as his face contorted through a mixture of emotions. It eventually settled on a scared glare before he looked up at her and asked, "... Y-you gonna break my other wing if I _don't_...?"

"Wha-..." She gave him a nasty glare and leaned in on his face. "Are you **KIDDING** me? Right now?!"

He glared more sternly, even though he was shaking. "It wouldn't be the f-first time you put me in a cast." His glare turned darker. "You should have gotten expelled that day and you know it!"

"Oh my g-" Susie hissed through her teeth as she turned away, her fists balled... Then, she shrugged her arms and slapped them to her sides, before she turned back on him, eyes glaring bright in the back of her hair. It was enough to make him shudder and press further into the door.

... She didn't do anything. Instead, her eyes faded from view back behind her hair and she growled. "... I'm sorry. Okay? It was ****ed up. I shoulda gotten expelled. You're right."

"Don't try and de-e-..." His eyes went wide as he blinked... He cocked a brow and let out a, "Huh?"

She took a breath and huffed it back out through her nose holes. "I said sorry. I know. It's a new one for me, but I'm trying. And I get it. Sorry don't cut it for an injury that won't totally heal. But that's all I got for you. _Literally_."

... Berdly just stared at her for a minute, before staring hard into the ground. Then, he narrowed his eyes up at her... She says that he looked like he wanted to say something else, but he said this instead. "Yeah. You're right. Sorry doesn't make up for anything this injury put me through. I had to quit a lot of my clubs because of you. And I can't fly right."

Susie shrugged and kicked the pavement below, keeping pinned any impatience and bile trying to rise in her throat. "Well, I'm sorry for that, too. That must..." She sighed and turned her head away. "That must really suck..."

"..." He grunt out a sigh and looked away. "Whatever. Look. I don't think you'd believe me if I told you where Kris is, so I'll just show you... if you back off."

"Huh...?" Susie looked down between them and realized that there was maybe a foot of space between the two of them. "Oh..." She backed up and pocketed her hands as she stared at him. He walked out of the door and looked at her one more time... Then he shrugged and sighed, pocketing his own "hands" and leading the way through to the forest as Susie followed...

(... Lemme tell this part.)

What?

(I wanna say it my way without you amending crap.)

Uh... O-oh. But... I wouldn't have amended it. I've been saying everything you told me to say, right?

(Yeah, but just ... humor me.)

Er... Okay. Go ahead.

...

Okay. So, I'm gonna just say it. I don't really care for this sorta thing much. I'm only doing it this one time and then Noelle can handle the rest. I ain't a narrator.

So. He took me to the dark zone out in the woods. At first, I was pretty freaked by how different it looked. All wide eyed and everything. I don't know.

Then, bird boy- (Berdly~) ... _**BERDLY**_... walked up on side of me and said, "I-It looks... bigger than before..."

I just looked at him like, "really?" and pointed at the whole black hole thing that was literally yards from reaching us. " ** _T_** _ **his**_ is where Kris went?! Why didn't you say what it was?! That's a one way ticket to the friggin' Dark World!"

He kinda pulled away and put his hands in front his face like this. ... ... ...

(... Uh... Susie, they can't see you.)

Wha...?! You aren't using a ****ing camera?! C'mon! I feel like a moron, now!

(I told you, though...)

W-whatever! Forget it. Just picture it, I don't know. He put his hands up in front of his face and said, "Hey, I-I thought you wouldn't believe me! I thought it was another prank from Kris! You know how good they are at making it look freakishly real!" ... Then he cocked a brow and itched his face. "Also, Dark World...?"

He had a point to a certain extent and all, but what moron thinks someone can make a black void? And no. You can't do that with magic. So, of course I looked at him like he was stupid. "... And you are only the _second_ dumbest bird person I've dealt with today."

The bird made an _amazing_ glare and said, "Hey!"

But I cut him off with a ... ... ... Hey. Noelle.

(E-eh?)

What do you call it when you do this? ...

(... A... waving gesture?)

Yeah! That. I cut him off with that and a scoff. "Anyways..." I looked at him with a stern face. "Why did the idiot go in there?" (Susie~.) [Sue me. They **_were_** an idiot.]

The bird got all clammy when I asked and started messing with his hands and avoiding eye contact. Right then, I knew. This was gonna be **GREAT**...

So, he turned his head away and looked at me with just his eyes and a sorry look on his frowning mug. "... N-Noelle might have end up in there. We don't know for sure."

I cocked my brow and tilted my head. "Yeah. And _why_ did they think that was a strong possibility? Princess doesn't exactly strike me as a camper." (Hey! I was in cross country!) [Does that make you a camper?] (... Nnnno, but-) [Ahp! No buts, you said it yourself.] (*sigh* Fine...)

"..." Berd pulled his head low, looking pretty dang miserable. "Me and her had a big argument... And it got a little physical..."

Call me a skeptic, but I was skeptical about how he worded that, so I put the squint on him. "How physical is a _little_ physical?"

And his expression only got even more miserable, like he was disgusted with himself. "... I slapped her... pretty hard..."

... I shot him one mean glare and folded my arms up. "... And she ran into the woods, 'cause she was _**UNDERSTANDABLY**_ very upset..."

The guy took a bit, but he ended up nodding silently. He didn't make eye contact and he sure didn't look like he was enjoying himself.

... The guy was already beating himself up, so I didn't feel like busting his beak. That wouldn't change crap and it would prove him right about me... But I didn't let him off scot-free. I crouched where he could see me, even though he kept trying to look away. All I did was grab his beak and point it back toward me. He looked pretty on edge about having my hand on his mouth.

But... I had a feeling. So, I took a wild guess. "The argument was about her joining our group..."

He took a jerk movement-(Wince.) ... Yeah. He winced the second I said something about it. So, I let his beak go and stood back up.

I stuck my hands in my pockets and took a moment... Then, I looked at him and asked, "Are you sorry about it?"

He took a moment to himself to just stare at the ground. Then, he looked up and me and said, "Y-yes... I hate that I hurt her. But I hate myself more..."

... I turned away from him and sighed. "Yeah...? Well... Why aren't you in there trying to save her?" (...)

... He frowned and shook his head. "... I... I-I was told by Kris... to tell everyone where you guys are if... y-you don't get o-out..."

... Sounded like an excuse to me. I shrugged and started walking toward the dark zone. "Yeah, whatever. Do what Kris told you to. I ain't about to throw you in."

He looked up in a hurry and held out a hand, saying, "Wait!"

I stopped... Then, I looked at him. He had a frown on his face when he dropped his hand. "... Take care of Noelle..."

... I shrugged and turned away. "I planned to do that and more." Then I walked away and left him behind... I know what he did after and I know what he decided to do even after that... But this really shoulda been his job.

After all, I don't have the same definition of "taking care" of people. Noelle had enough of those kinds of people...

(...)

... Hey. Can we stop here for now? Ralsei ain't here yet and he'll be better at telling you what all went on than me or Noelle when I first got to the Dark World. You'll find out why in a little bit.

As for me? I need a Pézza break.

(Oh! Uhm...) W-we'll be back in a bit with Ralsei~.

* * *

 _I experimented a little bit with this chapter! I wanted to see what would happen if two people took turns narrating... and while it was humorous... it really showed me that Susie's not the best fit for the job. ouo; It is a mistake that I will try not to make again! But no promises..._

 _Originally, this chapter would have been much longer, but I realized that it would have been a_ drag-on _... (:3)_

 _Silliness aside, it probably IS better the next part be told in Ralsei's POV to make things easier. After that next chapter, I'm going to take a few days to just read back and make sure everything flows well, makes sense and that there are no further grammatical errors._

 _There will continue to be multiple POV's. After all, as you've all found out, one person doesn't know all the details._

 _... I had more to say, but the thought slipped my mind. I blame it on my last minute dental visit._

 _... Oh well! I hope you are are still enjoying the story, even though Susie is not a good teller. ouo;_

 ** _++UPDATE:_** _i have been spending way too much time playing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! ouo;' I profusely apologize for this. I'll try to have the next chapter done in a few more days, but it's gonna be a bit longer than the usual. So... yeee? .u.; Please be patient. Even my brain sizzles after so much writing in one sitting...  
_


	9. P8: Rules to Live By

**_Rule of thumb for this and any other chapter to follow. [] is background Susie, () is background Noelle, / \ is background Kris, ** is background Ralsei. If I decide I need him in this context, then == is Berdly._**

 ** _I have zero intention to make this an every chapter deal. In fact, who knows if much more of this or any of this will happen in the future if I decide it's too much. I just thought you should know about what these all mean ahead of time._**

 ** _On with the story._**

* * *

Hm... Listening back on all of the recordings so far... It's kind of ... disheartening that everyone aside from... Kris... never knows what to say at the start.

N-not... that I am any different.

... Was Susie really so bad? I thought she did well for her first time...

[Hey! I did good in **general**! Not my fault I'm not as wordy as you nerds!]

(Oh, Susie~...)

Eheh~... Well, anyway. We're at the part where Susie had just fallen into the Dark World a second time, right?

(Yes.)

Okay then. I'm going to start a little bit before I found her so that I'm not leaving how I got there out.

[Pfft. Why's that matter? Point is you were there.]

Yes, but it wouldn't be right to leave them wondering about that.

[Ugh. Fine. Whatever. Just get on with it already. Else we'll be here all day.]

... You have pizza. Don't you?

[ _-Sounds of chewing vaguely audible-_ ... **-gulp-** Ahh, yyyep~.]

... So... could you maybe... try to have some patience...?

[Ugh. Just start wherever you want! It'll take longer arguing with you than it will to get to the important part.]

... **Anyway**...

The trip I took should have been shorter than it was. I started off traveling to Autumn Vale from the Kingdom of Aces in a Mule drawn carriage. And by mule, I don't mean like a donkey. Mule are Twin beasts that look like dogs mixed with wingless dragons with scales. About the size of a horse, I suppose. They are always a pair of siblings colored Black and White.

It was being driven by a Rudinn garbed in an admittedly suspicious looking black cloak, so I never really knew what she looked like.

I sat in the back on one of two benches built into the wall, looking as I usually do... ... ... Ah. Wait, no I guess not. After all, with my Shade's clothes on, I look black furred instead of white...

... Wait. Do they even know what I look like?

[Pretty sure Kris told them the simple version.]

Ah... Well, I could always elaborate for clarification~.

[Oh my god, they probably know what you look like. Why else would they be here?]

But Susie, we shouldn't make assumption. What if-

[ **OH MY GOD** , just describe yourself. This is cringe!] (Susie, don't be so hasty.)

Uh... O-okay then!

Well, as I am in my Shade's Cloth and Hat- at least in the Dark World- I look like a thick-furred, black goat monster. I appear to have black schlera'd white eyes and _do_ have a short muzzle with a slit nose. I have a small tail, but you'll never see that. I wasn't and still am not exactly tall. And I'm... not exactly big either. I'm pretty thin.

Of course, I'm not like a real goat in every way, much like with Ms. Toriel, actually. I have fangs that blend in with my fur in any form sticking out of my mouth and pawed feet instead of hooves.

(Yeah... About that. Are you related to the Dreemurrs at all?)

I don't think it's _im_ possible, but it would be a first time being told as much~. I didn't really have anyone around to tell me-... Uhm, maybe I should just continue.

(Sorry~.)

A-anyways, my attire is pretty simple. A pointy, green magician's hat with slips for my horns to hide in- my Shade's Hat. On my face and over my muzzle, I wear simple green framed glasses. And over my body, I wear a green, baggily fitting robe with a black heart or SOUL symbol on the front. I also wear short green pants, but you'll never see them unless there is a terrible draft.

Around my neck is a big, red scarf long enough top drape down my back for a ways. I actually use it for all sorts of things! It's great for grabbing and swatting since it's pretty heavy-

[Dude, that's overboard.]

Ah. Sorry~.

... So yes. I was on my way to Autumn vale by carriage. But I had been on my way for hours and hours. I was starting to get more than a little restless, knowing the task ahead would be difficult.

Much of my time, in truth, was spent in a silent, eyes closed vigil to prepare myself for the task ahead. I had read in books that the people of the Vale were many things. Isolationists. Naturalists. They avoided contact with those not native to the area, if it could be helped. Outsiders were not hated, but they were not welcome to stay unless they gave themselves **entirely** to the rules of nature. And there _were_ rules.

1\. Thine dark need not the tainted touch of stone, metal, nor spark.

In essence, this means that technology is forbidden, along with metal craft and stone masonry. You need to live by the land, of the land and with the land.

2\. Partake only of that which Vale birth.

You can't eat food nor drink liquids that aren't directly from The Vale. It's seen as faithless.

3\. War not within clans nor without. Yet leave each other hale and whole.

Conflict is strictly prohibited between the races and clans. It is as plain as it sounds. And yet it is one of two rules even the clans struggle with.

4\. Kill only that which is strictly necessity.

You can't deal death to an animal which you had no reason to kill. Even should the animal threaten you, you cannot take it's life. The second rule the dwellers of the forest struggle to follow.

5\. Want naught of the Outside. Bestow thou faith upon The Vale.

It's debated how much of the Outside World they are meant to shun, but shun it they do. Even the people.

6\. Fear not of the Bright Ones. Chosen are they and saviors be their mantle. Bestowed upon them be every blessing, including mine own.

Lightners are blessed by The Vale, never to come to harm. Instead, forest dwellers are to help any and all who find their way to Autumn. At all costs, if necessary... But I didn't know what blessing the forest **_itself_** could bestow upon a Lightner. I assumed it meant that Lightners could do anything they wanted and not come to bare the consequences. I may have been preeetty far off~. But it was just a simple guess, anyway.

7\. Scorn and punishment upon thou who violate my decree. Thy punishment be mine to decide.

Those who break the rules are to be both banished and receive a just punishment from The Vale itself. Whether that means they are to be shunned and left for dead or if the forest itself actually does something to punish rule breakers was beyond me.

And finally, 8. The wind guide mine voice to thee, dear child. Heed it's words with ear and mind open, bar none.

Once again, a rule up for interpretation, since I didn't live there. But it obviously sounded like the Vale was meant to have ultimate say in matters as well as a voice that "came upon the wind."

... Obviously, what I read didn't tell me everything, but it had me wondering about many things...

"Hey, kid." I twitched in my seat on and turned my head to look at the driver, who still had her back to me.

I smiled with a furrow in my brow and ask, "Yes, miss? What is it? If you are tired, we may rest for a time..."

"Pfft. Naw. I don't need a break. But you're sweet for asking." She turned her head to me, but I couldn't actually see her face through the darkness of her hood. "I have a question for you. It's about this whole Hero of Light, DELTA RUNE hosh bosh."

I blinked, my expression nonplussed. "Err... Okay..." Smiling as best I could, my instinct was to not be nervous. Merely polite. "What would you like to know, miss?"

She tilted her head. "Well, for one, what makes you think that you and those Lightners are The Three? I can tell ya. I've seen more interesting and more fit faces than yours. And the Lightners. One of them smacked around a good number of us before you put ér on a leash. That ain't very heroic."

... In my honesty, I wasn't really that caught off guard. I know that I called us Heroes, but Susie... She really made me question it. And I'm not really that good at the FIGHTing. I mean, obviously... I healed the King of Spades, even though I knew it was a bad idea...

And so, I just kept smiling as my head tilted, though I was smiling less. "An excellent point. Truth be told, I could be completely mistaken. My friends might not be the two, even though one was **definitely** a human. But I still think that they are two of the heroes. After all, Kris was able to seal a Fountain as was described in the legend."

She turned back forward as her white and red-diamond ringed tail wriggled. "... And you? Ya haven't defended yourself."

I closed my eyes and laid myself back, huffing through my nose, my smile even smaller. "Well... As for me, I have been doubting myself. You see, I AM a Prince From The Dark, but I am not the only one. And I have no subjects, at that. Lancer, on the other hand, just became a King after being a Prince himself. It could well be that HE is the one the Legend tells of... Or, we may have yet to meet the Prince... There are more kingdoms than our own, after all. So, wouldn't that make sense...?"

... She raised her head a bit. "You know... You might just be on to something, there."

I couldn't help a giggle, my smile widening again as I opened my eyes to look at the driver. "You think so, huh? Personally, I don't mind it. I am just happy to be helping in some way. Even if I am not THE Prince."

"Yeah... Personally, though, I don't really care who the Prince is..."

I blinked in alert. "H-huh...?"

Suddenly, she whipped her reins on the Mule and they roared in alert, before they suddenly began to sprint, their claws scraping and thumping against the dirt! I cocked a brow at all of this as she took a leap onto one of the nearby Mule and pulled out a long, double-edged sword! It was much to my shock as I stood up from my seat and rushed to the front of the cabin! "H-hey, what are you-"

But unfortunately, it was far too late.

Down on the carriage ropes the blade came and through them like butter it slashed!

 _ **-SNAP!-**_

Suddenly the carriage took a heavy shudder, throwing me back and over onto the wooden floor as the Carriage careened onto it's side! This made me fall from the floor and slip down abruptly into the bench, **thunking** my whole body down against it before I rolled down and onto the white tarp. It was a... less soft landing than I expected...

... The growing pains all over me made my aching form move, tossing onto a side while I ground. I could hear the Scraping and thumping of the Mule's claws were gone, a second roar now very distant under echo.

I finally worked up enough strength to rise up into a sit, rubbing at my side. "O-ow... Well, that- uhn- wasn't very nice..."

[Of course it wasn't nice. She flippin' **wrecked** your ass.]

H-hey! You know I like to expect the best of people. Please, don't give me a hard time...

[Ugh... You're lucky you're cute.]

(... H-he _is_ kind of cute isn't he?)

[What, you never noticed?]

(W-well, I never-)

Uhm... Can I please continue?

[What, you were waiting? Go ahead. I ain't gagging you.]

-Sigh-... Anyhow, I made myself climb out of the back of the now sufficiently ruined canopy. It wasn't tricky, but I definitely didn't like added pain of bruises to my arm and side. Free of the canopy, I walked from the red grass back onto the grey path, looking around at where I was.

It seemed like, despite the fact that she had obviously betrayed me, the Rudinn still drove me close to where I needed to go. I could see a massive, orange line of trees stretched across the dark horizon. The Autumn Vale. Rising from in the middle of it was a large beam of Darkness. Larger than the one that had been beside Aces Castle.

Yet, it was still a ways away...

I turned around and found myself unable to see even the Castle of the Kingdom of Aces. All I could see was the thin beam shooting up from my own castle, courtesy of the original Fountain of Darkness. I was further away from home than I had ever been, but it wasn't the time to just retreat.

Turning back to the forest, I sighed. "At the very least, my destination doesn't seem more than a few hours away..." What else could I have done? I started to walk the path to the forest at a brisk pace. Were I more confident that I could run all the way there, I would have, but my legs would have been uhm... Well, they would be gelatinous.

Still, It was a longer walk than I had bargained for... The trees looked much closer than they actually were. Their huge size had lied to me on just how close I was.

I can't say how long I had been walking for before I started to feel the blisters forming on my paw pads. Still, I felt it. And I could feel a nagging, tugging want to stop on the count of being sweaty and bruised on one side... And then, I smiled as it finally dawned on me. "Oh! I have Healing Prayer!"

Lifting my arm to the air, I focused my energy into a palm and chant a small prayer. in mere seconds, I whistling sound accompanied by green sparks of light filled the air around me. My bruises instantly felt like a distant memory, their burden no more...

... But I should have been thinking. That spell usually took Technical Points or a certain amount of my energy to cast... And since I wasn't in a fight, that ended up being my energy, which made my relief turn into a significant exhaustion.

I took a heavy huff and frowned, squinting. "Ouf... That was not well thought through. Now, I feel terrible in a different way..." It made me feel tired... Yet, obviously I had no time to stop and take a small nap. I had to reach the forest. And so, I continued on...

It would have been welcome for something- anything to happen at that point. If I had gotten into an encounter situation, it might have risen my energy back up. If I had found a berry bush, that would have been an excellent boost of energy after eating.

But no. It was merely a shear and miserable trek. Aches and pain were starting to come back before long. Their distraction and my own settling-in exhaustion came together to create the ultimate dreg upon my journey.

You don't need a sun in your world for a walk to feel grueling. All you need a lack of provisions, activity and enough time...

... ... ...

Head hung and eyes on the ground, I hadn't even realized the moment when I first got into the Autumn Vale. My legs were hurting, I felt weak in my core and I wanted to lay down. I was tired. "Guh... Well, this is not how I mh... figured this would go... Perhaps I should have chosen to bring along a snack or drink for the adventure... This is... quite miserable..."

 _-Thump!-_ "Agh!"

"Whoa!" I went falling over and face-planting into the ground as I tripped over something quite large and bulky.

[Hey!]

A-am I meant to lie?

[Ugh. Whatever... Sometimes, you're too honest.]

I-I'm sorry... But anyways, I groaned into the dirt, lazy and bumbling through my exhaustion. I didn't want to get back up and I could have fallen asleep right there, even though I was slumped across that thing I tripped over...

"Hey, asshole! Ya mind getting the hell **off**?!" At off, I was tossed off of the something with a shriek as it rose! Tumbling over myself, I came to rest on my back, aching and dizzy added to my list of complaints.

I struggled onto a side and directed my eyes down to see what I had tripped on... and my eyes immediately bugged. A gasp forced itself into me as my agape mouth curled into a smile. "S-Susie!"

Still rubbing at her kidney and sitting up, she looked down at me and said, "Who wants to-" And then, her eyes grew wide behind her hair, glowing passed the follicles. She jerked forward and took hold of my forearms, much to my alarm. "Ralsei?! Holy ******, RALSEI**?!"

As with anyone who fell from Light to Dark, she had gained a few physical changes to her appearance. Her scales had turned pink and her hair had turned plum purple

She was wearing different attire from the one she entered with, as before. She now wore a long, black vest with purple trimming over a purple, thick-necked shirt. On her arms, she wore golden spiked, black arm bands around her forearms and her wrists. Her bottom half was adorned by purple pants with a golden buckled black belt. Their legs were tucked into Knee-high, black boots with gold soles. And before any of you wonder, yes. Susie's tail turned back into the Jevil's Tail, which was merely pinned to the back of her-[Does it really matter? You're holding up the story.] ... Point taken.

Through a nervous smile, I giggled and nodded. "U-uhm... Yes. Who else would I have been looking like this?"

As she rose onto her feet, she pulled me up and slightly off of the ground as she helped me myself right. Then, I stood across from her and smiled. "Thank you, Susie."

I think she realized what she did at the time, because her expression turned nervous, before she took her hands off of me and smiled more relaxed... even though she was sweating. "Tch! Whatever. Next time you nail me in the kidney, I'm giving you a toss into a tree. Got that?"

"Noted," I returned, a bit too cheerfully in my opinion. Honestly, I wasn't worried about the threat.

Though, judging by the way Susie's smile faded, she seemed to pick up on my exhaustion. Gesturing to my person, she told me, "Uh, dude. You look like ass."

I frowned and sighed, passing a hand over my face. "My dear lord, is my exhaustion really so obvious? I'm wearing my Shade's clothes..."

She just stared at me for a moment, before she said, "Well, that whatever you call it robe is ripped, you have dust all over you, you look like you're ready to fall over... again..."

My legs _were_ feeling unsteady... I simply rolled my eyes as she threw everything I didn't want to acknowledge into plain thought. I hadn't slept on the carriage ride, got tossed **around** by the end of it, used up valuable energy I didn't realize I was so low on and walked for... perhaps ten hours. That's probably more what it felt like than it actually was, but with how slow walking is compared to a Mule ride, it's not utterly impossible.

... I'm sorry, I started rambling. Let me continue. In response to Susie's facts, I groaned and shook my head, before smiling up at her through furrows. "I'm fine. We should worry less about me and more about closing up the Fountain."

She folded her arms, not entirely convinced, then said, "Yeah, that plan needs to take a back burner. We got a couple other problems." She first looked around at the entrance of the forest... Then, she stared at me with concern. "Uh... Where the hell are we?"

I answered, saying, "We're at the entrance of the Autumn Vale. A forest kingdom ruled by no one but the forest itself."

She looked at me and tilted her head. "Uh... A forest is a **THING** , genius. It can't rule crap."

"Don't tell that to the inhabitants." I raised a hand and began to explain. "The forest, known as the Vale, is the peoples of this forest's deity. It's decrees are law and-"

"A forest doesn't make decrees," she cut in, much to my disarmed surprise.

I frowned and sighed. "Whether or not you wish to believe in such things, much less myself, this is the reality to the inhabitants of the Autumn Vale. You **MUST** respect that. This forest and it's inhabitants are said to be zealots of the Vale's Rules. We are already Outsiders and that alo-

"Yawn," she cut in, hanging her head to the side. It irritated me, but she put a finger to my mouth and told me, "Look, I don't care what the rules here are. I'm only here for Kris and Noelle."

As soon as she removed her finger from my lips, I blinked and thought for a moment... I looked around and furrowed my brows. "Hey... That's right. Where _is_ Kris?" Then, I looked at her and asked, "And who is this Noelle person?"

She groaned and leaned to a side while she rubbed at her neck... "Uh... Don't know where Kris is. They went in before I even knew what was going on. And Noelle's a friend of ours from our world. I think she fell down here by accident."

"Oh..." I sweat and bit my scarf, looking at the ground with a frown. "Uh... I don't know if that's bad or not... I-I mean it's bad, but uh..."

She suddenly stiffened up and stepped closer. "What do you mean? It was already bad. What could be worse about it?"

"Like I said." I shrugged up at her and said, "I don't know." Then, I went on with a stern expression. "What if Noelle came into the Dark World defenseless? You are the only Lightners I have to go on, but I have a good hunch that you are both Heroes! You both having weapons could be because of what you both are to the world, whereas this Noelle is just a normal Lightner."

That made Susie hiss through her teeth, pacing around. "Crap...!" She turned to me and said, "Well, what are we waiting for?! We have to fi-"

 _ **-Shink!-**_

We both gasped jumped back from an Arrowhead shaped magic dagger that split the ground between us! Looking around we searched the trees around us to find the one who threw it as it faded away.

Susie, growling out her irritation, reached in behind her as her Axe faded into view- a two-handed pole-arm with a large, razor sharp edge colored blue- then swung it forward, embedding it into the ground, much to my jumping surprise. "Susie, you can't-"

She shouted and cut me off. "Show your face, coward! You scared of getting whooped by a girl?!"

Her blatant disregard for the rules of the forest made me break out in sweat... But at the same time, this was a weird move. Why were we attacked? It made sense if it was because of me, but the attacker risked hitting Susie as well. A Lightner...

The more I though about it... the more I grew confused... Maybe they didn't know... I turned my attention back up into the trees and shouted, "Please, wait! We are not enemies! My friend is a Lightner! A "Bright One"!"

... Silence...

... Then, the leaves of the tree limbs high above began to shiver. Out from the thick of their brush, several shadowy figures quickly descend all around us, much to our alarm! We quickly got back to back as Susie readied her axe over her shoulder, glaring all around.

They all looked like foxy satyrs of varying shapes and sizes and wore differing masks. Some male, some female... In essence, they were the same as the person Noelle first met...

... One such person walked forward, baring a large rod with an odd head. It swirled in a gnarly way, the very center bejeweled with a black gem. He held it not like an old man with a back problem... but a strong character who commanded authority.

He stood straight with a strong, well-built figure with head over the rest. His arms and legs were stronger than average. His horns were curved in swirls beside his masked face that suddenly jut sharply outward. The Mask itself was shaped like the wooden skull of a six eyed antelope. It was the only one that let a mouth show, his muzzle long and thin with a black nose. The man only had one and a half fox ears. His main tail was smaller than the other fox satyr folk's tails, but the tendril tails were perhaps longer and seemed to move hypnotically.

He wore a sort of stitched-up, black vest with spiked patterns along the bottom, decorated up the middle and around the neck by feathers. A long, black warrior's skirt adorned his bottom half, it's waist and bottom lined by thick, white fur. Arm and shin Shin guards of leather were strapped to both. Over one broad, muscular forearm, he wore a red band of golden trim marked by Ancient letters. They looked like glyphs.

Around his neck hung a symbol of authority- a necklace baring the actual DELTA RUNE on it hanging over his chest. White feathers were shaped into the wings, and white gems studded into leather made up the circle and triangles.

... Now that I actually looked around, It seemed that the others were all adorned in leather armor and cloth stitching alike, however they were very clearly underlings. Their dressings were far simpler.

I turned back to him and frowned. "Please. We mean you no harm. We only want to help..."

Susie looked at me with a groan, but shook her head and looked back to the man.

He looked all around to his confused brethren, before bowing his head for a moment... Then, raising it again to look at us with unseen eyes, he spoke. "By your meaning, you seem to think we are in need. Yet, of what? And why?" His voice was husky, but clear.

I instantly felt an uncomfortable vibe in the air. I couldn't help a shiver running up my back... I swallowed my nerves and tried to smile. I was certain if I was simply kind and sincere, everything would turn out for the best.

I walked a step closer and started to explain. "You may not be aware of it, but there is a Fountain of Darkness spewing out from the center of your forest."

He shook his head and folded his arms around his staff. "I **am** aware of it. The Black Geyser which strikes the sky."

I nodded, smiling more. "Yes. Well. I should explain. That "Black Geyser" is a part of a prophecy. Or it will be. And if my friends and I don't close the fountain-"

"Indeed. I am aware of The Legend..." I stopped, staring confused at the unphased man. He turned his back to us and stamped the butt of his staff to the ground. Then, he said, "The sky will run darker than darkness. The earth shall cave under her own weight. Thusly shall this world end... only to transform into a new one once the dust settles."

My blood ran cold and my face tensed. Susie, too, took a step forward and bared axe to the man's back. I gasped and quickly lowered her weapon, much to her annoyance. Still, it was too late. Every one of the strange people had taken to summoning weapons into their hands or floating at their sides. I saw the arrowhead from before multiplied by many, swords, lances and even bar glaives. All were made of a magic colored white. They almost looked like ivory, but there was an unnatural black outline around them. A sign of black magic.

Jerking her weapon from me and readying it to fight every man and woman there, she told me, "Forget it, Ralsei. These guys didn't come here to listen. They came here to wreck us."

I wanted to reason with her, but that face she was making, that serious glint in her eyes, told me it was impossible. So, frowning and turning back to their supposed leader, I pleaded. "P-please, sir! You don't understand! The Prophecy isn't telling you a new world will be born. It's foretelling the **e** **nd**! Total destruction is all that shall come of the world- or at the very least, the destruction of your forest! Wha-"

"And yet, the prophecy foretells of "world's edge" after the final death cry of the world has been given."

I felt my heart skip... That was true, but it still didn't mean there would be many people left in whatever world he was hoping for. I shook my head with a frown and stepped closer. "You don't understand! Eve-"

 _ **-Whish!-**_

Suddenly, I had a spear's tip at my neck as I withdrew with eyes wide. My body shuddered as I looked to one of his unreadable masked followers, who then said, "Take another step toward our Shepard and let your head roll, traitor."

 _ **-SNAP!-**_

Suddenly, Susie's axe came down and sliced the spear in two, much to the follower reflexively stumbled back, seeming to be surprised. The monster girl glared with this ghastly look in her glowing eyes, baring her teeth. "That was a mistake, asshole! My friend was **TALKING**!"

I frowned deeply, honestly frightened by how close Susie seemed to doing some real harm to these people. And they seemed to get that idea, all except for the leader taking steps inward and pointing their weapons at us. I put my hands up and briskly walked over to my friend. "S-Susie, please- c-calm down! We don't need to fight these people! We **need** to-"

"I'm afraid if you mean to speak more," came the leader's- the Shepard's voice, making me perk my head and whirl back around. He stood with authority and a sternness to his posture. "Then do forgive that I say, 'that time has passed.' My brother had the right of it. Your trespass was insult enough. Believing you are needed where you are not welcomed and worse yet for a problem which does not exist... is arrogance. Next you will inform me that you two are the Delta Warriors of Legend."

... I bowed my head and fought back the urge to say just that. But...

"Yeah. As far as you're concerned, we are." I gasped and turned to Susie, who was cracking a grin. "But nah. We aren't here for idiots like you. All we're here for is making that Fountain history."

I could feel the malice running off of the Shepard's body as his hand tightened it's grip around the staff and started to sink it's butt into the ground. "You **DARE**...!"

I bite my scared again and waved my hands in front of her to stop talking. She just rolled her head and grinned wider. "Yeah, we do! And you hard headed idiots only get one warning: Stay out of our way or meet the dirt. Hurt our _**friends**_ and we put you **IN** the dirt." She then made a swipe with her axe to the side, cutting quite the confident figure as she sneered at the Shepard, who only seemed to boil at her every word. "And since I can tell you don't like it, bonehead, if you think I give a rats ass whether you approve or not of our _**SAVING YOUR WORLD**_... think again. I don't need your approval, so don't bother. Do you **get** me?"

... As much as I thought that speech was cool and all... I knew that we were never making friends after this. My palm smacked my face and I whined out in whisper. "I can't believe you just said that..."

... I was expecting the Shepard to explode at any second... but it never happened. Instead, he grew oddly calm... Tilting his head down, I could feel his glare through his mask. "I believe that I do, Bright One. And we shall not suffer such a thing. The Black Geysers are our collective worlds' salvation. RED EYE entrusted this Geyser's safety to us. You'll not lay finger upon it."

... That last bit confused me. Who was this RED EYE? ... And then it hit me as my eyes shot wide. {Could that be what they called the _KNIGHT_ , here?}

Suddenly, a chilled wind blew passed all of us, blowing my robe around and making me shield my face. Susie was unphased. [It was just wind. I ain't made of paper.] I looked back at the fox man, who apparently hadn't been the case. His teeth were bared in what I could sense was irritation...

His comrades bowed their heads, seeming torn as they lowered their weapons... The man merely had to stamp his staff hard to the floor with a -crack!- to get them to all raise their weapons once more and soon stare at us with hidden glares again. The Shepard himself shook his head and whispered something a bit like, "... Your breath is wasted upon us." Words that made no sense to me, but something caused him to pause.

Susie readied her axe, ready to fight, but I tugged at the length of her vest and said, "Susie, we need to run."

She cocked a brow in outrage at me. "Are you kidding me?"

If I hadn't already been frowning, I would have done it again. "I don't want to hurt these people." ... My exhaustion clouded my head for a moment, making itself all too obvious again as I groaned and drew Susie concern. It hadn't gone anywhere. The surprises merely buried it. Now, it weighed in on my body again, making me wobble a little as I groaned.

She groaned down at me with a less-than-pleased expression... "Fine. But we still need to make room. Sooo..." Suddenly, she bolted to the side, tugging me along as she flailed her axe back-end first into two of the Shepard's men! Under-prepared, they both got slammed surprisingly hard into each other and went tumbling out of our way as Susie led us both in get-away!

"They cannot escape! _**Eliminate them, immediately!**_ "

That was the last thing we heard before a spray of arrowheads rushed after us! I gasped and tackled Susie down, much to her protest. But before she said anything, she gasped as several arrows flew over us, eyes wide! "Holy...!"

After they passed, we immediately righted ourselves and took off around the corner of a tree as the thrown weapons found themselves sunk in thunks along it's trunk. We were suddenly running for our lives, but Susie was obviously going faster than I was, much to her annoyance. She groaned and suddenly- much to my surprise- took me by the shirt collar like I was nothing to her, throwing me up onto her back as she shouted, "God damn, can you be any slower?! This was your idea!"

As surprised as I was, I was then frightened by an arrowhead zipping passed my face and the monster girl's neck! I turned my head to look back and saw several shadowed figures running and weaving around the trees after us, throwing more of the sharp points our way! "Susie! Dodge right!"

Cursing under her breath, she complied as she picked up the pace and jumped clear of the path over a fallen branch the size of a log! The arrows zipped passed us multiple times by then and our pursuers crowded through the tree bends after us! They were too nimble and the arrows soon began to follow us again.

"Left...! No, right!" The monster girl went neither left nor right, instead shielding her back and some of myself with her Axe's wide head! The arrows twanged and clanged against the exposed side!

At that point, I just grabbed the head and used it like a shield which she bared the weight, moving it up, down or from side to side to deflect the arrows! While I did so, I overhead a few angry words from our opposition. _"You are unwelcome!" "For the Shepard!" "RED EYE's will be done!" "It is futile!" "Do not resist, Bright One!" "You'll not rob us of salvation!"_

At some point, the attacks began to rain down, much to my gasping surprise! I Raised the Axe head higher to block, but in doing so I missed the one traveling toward Susie's side!

 _-Slit!-_

" **GRAH!** " An angry, pained cry erupted from her mouth. She suddenly growled and bore her teeth, before she whirled around, glaring. She ripped the axe from my hands, much to my surprise! It deflected several arrows unintentionally while it passed over head head and around to her front. Then, reeling it back, the head suddenly caught fire with a bright red aura! My wide eyes spotted this and I shouted, "No. Wait!"

" _ **SCREW THAT!**_ "

In three rapid, consecutive and massive swings, the aura took form in sharp, fast travelling waves! They blazed out at high speed toward our pursuers and anything around them! ... I couldn't bare to watch. Shutting my eyes, my ears heard loud and clear the screams and the crunch of branches coming down in droves!

 **-SCRAPE!- -Crruuu _uunnnnk!_ \- -Snap!- -Pop!- _-BLAAAMMM!-_** ...

Peaking my eye open, I was left looking at the carnage one angry girl could create... in shock as both eyes sprung wide. In those three strikes, she had torn many of one tree's left branches down, left one with a massive split through the middle of it's huge trunk and taken a big enough chunk out of one other to cause it to collapse over the path back. I couldn't see passed it's thick body unless I looked up at an angle. Leaves would not stop falling and I couldn't be sure whether or not she had ... killed ... one or all of the fox monsters...

I turned my attention to Susie and frowned at her expression. She seemed to have shocked herself with how her mouth gaped weakly and her eyes were wide... "... H-how did... I do that much damage...?!"

Even I had no idea she could do that. But it wasn't the time to question a miracle. We couldn't do anything about what happened.

I looked around as I hopped off of her back, briskly walking around while Susie relaxed her limbs and continued to stare at what she had done.

[... It freaked me out, you know? I know I'm pretty strong, but I could never do something that bad in the Light World. And with just a frickin' axe and magic? That's pretty overkill... Didn't know if I liked it or was... freaked out by myself.]

... Off to our north east, I could see these awfully maintained pillars of stone leading off somewhere to the left. I turned myself back around. "Susie...!"

She snapped her head around to me with a surprised hum. I motioned her over with a hand and though she didn't follow immediately, I started to walk toward the pillars. When I got in the middle of four or so, I looked around at the glyphs carved into them. Faint as they were from the wear of time, they were an unfamiliar emblem. An avian-like symbol in the middle of a kite shield with a fire above it's head. I could only make that out on one pillar's who's condition was slightly better than all others, though part of the shield was chipped away due to the wear in the stone and one of the avian's talons were gone for the same reason.

... I recognized that crest from somewhere, but I couldn't recall where.

"Ralsei..."

I blinked at the sound of my own voice, turning to Susie and tilting my head. "Yes?"

She was looking at me with little expression at all, though a hand grasped an arm before long and she looked away. "... Was that power part of being a Hero of Light? Or...?"

I furrowed my brows and sighed. "Honestly...? I don't really think so. I've heard of such power before. Monsters of any kind can do it, if they are strong enough or worked up enough..." I summoned magic into my hand for better emphasis, starting it out as a small glimmer of light as Susie stared at it. "I think what you experienced was a CRITICAL IMPULSE. It comes from especially intense emotion and a magic surge. Magic surges comes from an adrenaline spikes. When one hits..." I stretched my fingers as the light grew brighter and more intense.

Still, I was using magic, even if it was small, meaning that I was once again becoming aware of my exhaustion from before, squinting. So, I cut the magic off with a groan and let the light fade. Rubbing at my eyes, I went on. "... Well, like you saw... magic gets stronger and it becomes more intense... The more emotional a monster gets- the more worked up- the stronger their magic becomes. Just like human determination..." I hung my head in sigh for the moment.

She cocked her brow down at me and asked, "You okay?"

I shook my head and smiled a tired smile. "N-not really, but uhm... I don't think we should rest until we find our friends."

Susie shook her head. I could practically feel her rolling her eyes. Then, she did something I hadn't expected. She crouched low and showed her back to me, much to my confusion. "Just get on. You ain't awake enough to make me think you won't fall over while I'm not paying attention."

It was a rather enticing offer. And I didn't doubt that I'd fall over like she said... I smiled wryly and asked, "Are.. you sure?"

She looked back at me with a swivel in her lips. "Am I sure that I can carry around a paper weight girly boy who's fluff practically makes him float? Uh. Yeah, I don't think I'll notice much difference."

... I made an abashed frown as I hunched. "U-uhm... _G-girly_...?"

"Get on my stupid back!"

I just about yelped and instantly complied, climbing onto her back and wrapping my arms around her neck. Not too tightly, though. I was afraid I might choke her. [You. With your dainty arms. Choke **ME**?] (Susie, don't be mean.) [Hey, It's true and you know it!] Guys, I'm almost done. Can I please finish? [Fine~.] (Please, go on. We're sorry~.)

Regardless, once I was settled on her back, head rested over a shoulder, She got back up and looked at me. "So. Where are we going?

I looked ahead down the path of pillars... Before long, my eyes caught sight of something below the dirt and grass of the forest. Beneath it all was a wide, worn down, broken up walk way...

Pointing down it's length, I told her, "This was seems promising..."

She adjusted me slightly, then started to walk down the path as she said, "You can go ahead and take a nap, but if you drool, I'm dumping you off."

It was a welcoming invitation, despite how mixed the signal I was getting was. My mind was already starting to haze, but I lazily watched around as I rested my head back along her shoulder... The air was getting somewhat thicker with fog, but I didn't know if it was my eyes or actual fog itself. [It was fog. But it wasn't too thick.] Ah. then, I suppose it was!

... Still. Even if it was foggy, I could clearly see something in the tree tops, humanoid in shape, watching us... Though, my mind was dull and I wasn't really alarmed by it. Before much longer, my lids grew too heavy to keep open... and I ended up falling asleep...

I guess this is where my job ends for now, right?

... Oh, wait. No.

After a while, I heard Susie speaking my name. "Ralsei... Yo. Ralsei!" I cracked my eyes open in a strained groan and squinted, looking around for Susie. She was looking at me and still carrying me on her back. She nudged her head to her front side and told me, "Check this out."

I furrowed my brows in protest, but relaxed my face as I stared out over her shoulder... And nearly immediately, I wasn't tired anymore. Instead, I was in wide-eyed awe of the scene before me...

... It was the same scene that I'm sure Noelle already told you about. An overhead view of the forest from atop the massive, broken bridge. There was the massive, orange treeline, the settlement immediately noticeable at the northwest side of the forest, the actual length of the bridge itself... And then, I gasped at the true draw. The ruined, flora overtaken castletown where a beam of black, flowing light pierced into the sky from the castle's highest, largest tower. A Dark Fountain... Bigger than any other I had seen before, reaching higher and higher, breaking through the clouds and even cleaving any trying to near it in two. But it didn't seem to stop there. It even passed the very sky itself, blasting into unknown space- higher than any Darkner has ever flown.

I sweat and smiled a little, though my first emotion was nervousness. "W-well... We know where we need to go, at the very least..." Making a bunched frown, I went on to say, "Though... We'd first need to find Kris so he can close the Fountain and your other friend, Noelle. Otherwise, someone who's not present by the fountain may not make it home with you two..."

She nodded and hummed in agreement. "Only one problem. This forest's pretty friggin' big. There's all of that..." She then turned around and showed me what I wasn't seeing to the south. "And... that."

What she plainly referred to as "that" was a nearly-as-large portion of the forest, but the difference was that I could see the end... or rather the beginning of this one.

The outermost region was the entrance to which we came from. A massive, yet thinner sea of trees bent inward, crescent in shape. But beyond that was the rest of the forest. And it was grand in scope. It was a tsunami of orange leaves threatening the dark green land beyond, attempting to overtake it. And yet, the forest itself was not the other interest. Plenty of like ruined buildings wrapped in moss and vines- or roots and trees could be seen and compared to the castletown. There were even settlements off in that direction. Their twinkles of golden, red and blue light drew the eye every which way, all of these colors having their own little nook in the trees- one of those _literally_ in the trees...

A distant howl makes me take a sharp inhale along with Susie and direct my eyes far west to the sky just above the forest. There, a long-bodied, flying creature like to the one Noelle encountered circled slowly around a ruined cathedral. A Shulong, the masked fox monster called it...

"... I really hope we don't end up in a fight with that monster," I said with sweat trailing my cheek.

"Same."

As she turned back around and I hopped off of her back, I walked to the top of the rupture in the bridge and looked out toward the settlement nearest the castletown. "That said, I don't know if it's safe to show ourselves in a sapient populated area."

Thinking for a moment while Susie folded her arms and sighed, I considered all angles as best I could. ... Then, I turned to her and told her what the plan should be. "I would still like to see if we can reason with those fox monsters. Surely they can be-"

"Ain't gonna happen." I frowned... She only stared down at me. "You're a good guy, Ral, but I know the type of that _Shepard_ of their's. Stubborn as a rock and doesn't listen well. Likes to listen to himself. The only thing we'll get from him and his band of weirdos is crap. We're best off avoiding them or knocking out the ones we can't. That's the only 'reason' they'll listen to."

... As much as my mouth wanted to deny everything, my head and heart were both telling me the same thing: she was right...

With a heavy sigh, I frowned away from her. Then, I came to look at the castletown. "Either way, we should keep an ear out for our friends. Right now, we're just a potential two of three heroes- possibly even just one confirmed."

"H-hey...!"

I ignored her and went on. "Without Kris, we can't solve the problem, so going to the castle out in the distance with the Fountain may be pointless. If they're captured, we'd have no idea until someone comes our way. And that's only during the circumstance in which they are the same people holding Kris captive. And that should go for Noelle as well. With how they reacted to a 'Bright One,' they might use even your friend as a bargaining chip or a trap."

The monster girl paused for a moment... Then, she nodded. "In other words, we stick to the plan. Find our friends before we do anything else and do anything it takes to get them back, if push comes to shove."

I nodded back... But I also smiled through a nervous furrow when I realized just how much "anything" could mean to her. [Oh, come on.] "W-within reason, of course. Right?"

And Susie cocked a brow, before shrugging and taking a sigh. Shaking her head, she agreed with a, "Whatever, then. I'll just follow your lead like I did Kris. That work?"

I nodded more at ease with that. "Yes. I believe it does."

As the short discussion ended, we both began to walk... "Hey. Ralsei." I blinked in confusion, turning my head to look at her and tilted it as I saw the small smile on her face. "I-it's... nice to see you again..."

... I smiled abashed as I felt the color in my cheeks rise. "It's wonderful to see you again as well, Susie. I hope I can say the same to Kris as well, soon."

The purple monster huffed a laugh and grinned that toothy smirk of her's. "Yeah? Well, I wonder what they'd like to say to you when that happens, Fluffy Boy~."

That drew a confused blink from myself as we began our descent down the other side of what remained of that bridge... What _did_ Kris have to say to me?

I mean, I know now, but... w-well... It's a question for you, the listener, to think upon. Isn't it?

[... Yer' red, dude~.]

... Susie... perhaps we should have a talk about the fine points and importance of building suspe-

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

 _ **...**_

* * *

 _That... Took way longer than I wanted._

 _I knew this would be hard for me from the get go, seeing as Ralsei is a rather interesting character. He is both the kindest marshmallow and the first person that will try to tell you where he thinks you may be doing something wrong._

 _I don't know what part of that my brain has trouble handling, but I certainly hope this rather long chapter has trained me to handle him a bit more easily..._

 _Like I said, this is the last chapter for a while. I plan to first go back and double check for grammar errors and consistency issues- possibly even flow issues. Then, I intend to take a break and work out how exactly I want to move forward with the story. As fun as this is to write, if I keep trying to force it, it's just going to frustrate me._

 _Thank you all for reading! I hope you have enjoyed thus far!_

 _Also, I plan to post review responses in the future. Obviously, I won't be spoiling the story at all. So, if you have questions pertaining to such things or if certain parts of your review touch upon such subjects, you'll understand if I A. Don't be completely honest with you or B. Give you an unclear statement about such things. ;P T's how it goes~._


	10. P9: Face of The Enemy

_**-CLICK!-**_

/-pizza boxes go in the trash, guys, not on my bed. _-clonk!-_ Jeeze... Next time they leave the room like this, they're cleaning...\

/... Oh wait, this is already booted up... Whoops.\ Uh... Y'know what? Oh well. I'm no professional.

/So... Let's see... ... ...\

/Ah. I can just start where I left off my part, then. Cool. Not that I had any doubt. None of them were there.\

So hey. It's me again. Kris. Sorry about the absence. I've been pretty busy, so I had the gang record their own parts while I couldn't record mine. I made sure they'd go in sequential order, anyway.

I can't tell you what I was doing. It was only important to me, anyway. So, don't worry about it.

I just want to address something real quick. I don't know when someone will even hear these, but I'm willing to bet that in the future _specifically_ , this will all sound _unbelievable_. I mean, it's not like we wanted to televise what we did, after all. Though, I'm not in charge of what people say, otherwise. And well... uh... Well, I don't want to say " _trust me_ ," because I hear that these days, some psychiatrists think that's the leading line of a lie or something... but I can't really say anything else.

There's plenty of proof lying around in the open, but I'm not gonna talk about that just yet. Saying anything further might spoil something. Outside of Dark World Inhabitants, not many people actually know what we did. Further still, every last one of those people live in Hometown.

What else... You know how items and the like can't be brought out of there without becoming something mundane or weird, right? Well, recordings didn't work either. They just corrupted or... showed something that didn't look like anything I was trying to capture... You'll understand what I mean when we get there. Though, that won't be today.

For now, all I have for you is my part in all of this...

Last time I was here, I had ended with how I'd just gotten washed away in the current of a river and rescued by a figure I could not make out. Obviously, this figure dragged me off to who knows where in the forest... but they didn't kill or hurt me...

Instead... I awoke to the sound of a crackling fire not far from myself. Before too long, I moaned and cracked my eyes open, red eyes staring into the bright(ly colored), blazing flames of ... a camp fire. My first thought. {... Did I dream all of that and somehow wake up camping...? I'd really love for that to be the case...}

... I sat up with a groan and some effort put into moving my achy limbs, pushing myself into an cross-legged style sit. As I did, the feeling of something large and heavy brushed against my back with a rough exterior. Turning my head and looking down, it turned out to be... a log sized, dark-barked branch that had not been shaven of it's extra limbs and leaves. A bushel of leaves was what brushed me. Looking around, the next thing I realized was that I was still in the very same autumn forest, massive trees surrounding and leaves the size of dinner plates and all. This was clearing in it, to be exact. The trees almost formed a loose ring around me and this place about a house's area wide.

Turning my attention back down, I took in the very camp site itself. There was another large branch on the other side of the fire, suggesting another person I had already been aware of. The fire itself was made with chopped wood and those oversized leaves. inside the fire were four skewered animals. One was literally a big bug like the "rhyno" beetle I saw from before. Another was a fish that looked an awful lot like a trout mixed with a shark, well-roasted. That one looked appetizing enough... The other two made me frown in pity, since one looked close enough to a hawk and another looked... like a very small bear with bat wings...

Once again, I am reminded of how weird this place was beyond the animals just being weird. As my friends have said, it's as if the food chain has been reversed... Can't remember if I said that, too, so I apologize if this is starting to sound like a broken record.

... I looked myself over. Sure enough, I was indeed still wearing that weird armor. "Yeah. That figures. Still in the Dark World..."

 **-Thump!-**

The sound drew out a gasp from my throat as my eyes snapped up and to the left! A figure had just landed a short distance away from above. I instantly drew my sword in anticipation of a fight, glaring daggers at the shadowy figure. Yes, shadowy. I have no idea how they did that, but am well aware that should not be possible in the dark world. Imagination playing tricks, maybe. Or maybe my memory is fuzzy there.

"Peace, human," It said with a raised hand as it slowly, unflinchingly walked toward the fire, revealing itself.

... It was the same person Noelle met after her run in with that Shulong. /No use telling you what they look like again.\ Though, at the time I hadn't known that. To me, it was just a fox satyr person of unclear gender, wearing a leaf-shaped mask and sporting one heck of a bushy tail and tentacle(s) combo.

... I didn't feel like this person was about to attack, so I lowered my sword and relaxed, blinking as I tilted my head. Still. I kept my eyes glued to them. "... Who are you?"

Walking over to the branch on the other side of the fire, they sat down without taking their mask's eye holes off of me, legs arched and arms draping over their "knees." "I am the one who saved you the watery end you'd have met. My name is Shorn, of the Kytsaters... formerly." Shorn gestured to the food sitting along the fire and told me, "Take your fill, but be not wasteful."

... I finally sheathed my sword back into my pocket as I cocked a brow... Not wanting to be rude, I took the shark trout from the fire and looked it over, before turning my eyes back to the "kytsater". "Why do you say you're a _former_ Kytsater? I should ask what one is, but I apparently have one sitting in front of me..." After asking, I carefully took the fish to my mouth and bit into it, too hungry to really care what it was exactly. The juices spilled a little messily from it, but at the very least, it didn't seem to have blood. The taste...? Well, a little like clams mixed with some other succulent, meaty taste I wasn't very familiar with. There was nothing quite like it, which isn't to say it was good or bad as it was mediocre at best, but a fish really shouldn't taste like that. It disarmed me, understandably, a brow going up as I stared at the fish... Oh, **shoot**! I'm rambling.

Uh... While I had my _fish-ain't-meat_ conundrum, Shorn made a low, toneless groan as they leaned forward a little, masked head tilting. "My Shepard leads my people by _**RED EYE**_ 's wish over _ **The Vale's** **Decrees**_. He forgets himself, as do my kin, following the liar in desperate hope of a _promised land_ after the _Day of Fear_ foretold by prophecy."

After chewing and swallowing the bite in my mouth- after spitting what scales I could out- I leaned in, lowering the fish-on-a-stick from my mouth and wiping what I could with my sleeve. "The prophecy..." It suddenly clicked to me, my eyes widening briefly at what I hadn't immediately realized. "You mean the prophecy of the **DELTA RUNE**..."

They nodded, humming. "The very same." They then went on as they drew the **DELTA RUNE** with white-colored magic highlighted in black upon the air. "The prophecy informs us of our twin worlds, Light and Dark in harmony amongst one another balanced by a small thread we call the Black Geyser, of which should exist only _one_... Should the balance shift too greatly, calamity shall occur, described by a darker-than-black sky falling upon not only _our's_ , but **both** worlds... and the splitting of our respective earths... As she nears her death cry, The three **"Delta Warriors"** \- _heroes_ foretold in the prophecy- would appear at the edge of the earth. A **Human**. A **Monster**. And a **Prince From The Dark**. The **Human** can seal Black Geysers' blight, but alone this lone human would perish. Only with **Monster's** strength and **Prince's** noble spirit allied can harmony be restored..."

I squint at all of the new bits added in, but that version of the legend was about the same. It wasn't that I didn't want to ask. I wondered about all of the fine details, but kept it to myself. Ultimately, they were interpretable through mere common sense.

The kytsater turned their attention to me. " **RED EYE** had their own interpretation of the legend. _'After the calamity strikes, the **Promised Land** shall be born from the ashes of the old worlds. And it will be a land where all are equal and free to live by their own rules. And thus do three Delta Warriors come to calm the new world's chaos. All shall be lost... and all shall be found in promise to come.'_" Shaking their head and holding their masked face in their hand, they then said, "... I would have thought the common sense of the Shepard above corruption. Yet, I am left to wonder... Is there perhaps a fact withheld...?" Their head shook as they dropped their hand, hanging their head. "Regardless, I turned my back to the madness, for there was naught but false promise. A child could see where this path leads, given what I know."

... Yet another case in which the leader of a peoples had been turned against what he had come to know. Though, this was different. The King of Spades had been turned away from the idea of trusting Lightners _before_ the **KNIGHT** completely turned him to their cause.

This Shepard, on the other hand, seemed to trust the **KNIGHT** over Lightners without a judgement clouding bad experience's effect... It didn't seem _right_. How was the KNIGHT so convincing? What made people want to follow them? ... Just how _powerful_ were they...? I stared off into the fire as I tensed in dreaded thoughts and sweat, trying hard to pull for an answer with the info I had...

... Then, Shorn turned their head back up... before leaning in closer over the fire and staring at my face... I didn't realize that they were staring at me until _several_ seconds had passed, turning my head up and jerking back in surprise with a sharp inhale and wide eyes. "U-uh! What?"

The monster tilted their head in silence, their face obscured by their mask... but I could now see the glint of their eyes from within, even if I couldn't see what color they were. "... You have... red eyes like the accursed one... Yet, they aren't a bright red. They are duller... and yet, they are more... _alive_." Leaning back from the fire, they came to sit on their branch as I blinked at the idea. Yet, they went on. "Their eyes are pitiable. _Dead_. They glow, but with what, I do not claim to know..."

The last word cocked my brow. "... _Glow?_ "

The kytsater paused. "... They wore a helm, yet I could always see their red eyes glowing from within."

I should have taken to it faster, but I blame me having nearly been drowned and being pretty hungry for my slow thinking. My eyes shot wide and I pulled in closer. "You know what they look like!"

Another pause. "... I do."

"You have to tell me what they look like! I need to know!"

... Shorn rose to their feet and walked around to me as I rose to my own. "Talk is unneeded. I prefer to show you." And so, they reached their hand up, grasping their mask along both eye holes and the side. Then, off it came... ... ... _I don't remember what face I saw beneath that mask... from that time_. All I remember were their _eyes_. There's a reason for that...

As soon as that mask came off, Shorn's eyes were closed. But when they _opened_ , they were like a circle of rainbow with white pupils and black schlera... **Piercing**... And a second after seeing them, I felt everything they did. My mind was suddenly assaulted **painfully** by thought and feeling, making me gasp at first before an intense pain _burrowed_ inside of my head! Through my mouth escaped a loud, strained groan as my hands took to clutching my head, eyes wide! I felt mentally struck by a deep loneliness that refused to let up made the world seem colder for it, causing me to shiver. Not only was the feeling heavy, but It was like being _squeezed_! A bitter sorrow hovered over me like a dark cloud and made me tear up and sniffle, but I didn't know why I was sad. The world looked bluer to me. And then... it scorched orange as a hate hot as a desert burned over my face, drying away my tears and making me glare wildly ahead... at the figure of _"my"_ ire.

... /How do I even...\ One second.

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

Alright... For this part, I had to kinda cheat a bit. I didn't know some of these words existed for armor, but here we are. I'll be reading off of a page, so you'll have to forgive me it it sounds like an essay.

 _-crinkle!-_

Okay...

A dark-silver knight of mirror-shined armor. Heavy metal. Exposing no flesh. The helm was particularly striking. It's what is called an " _armet_." From the top of it's visor grew two metal spikes like demon horns. _Within_ the visor, I saw the reason for the name " _ **RED EYE**_." They actually glowed through the dark of the visor. There was no dome. All I could see was wild brown hair in scraggly spikes.

This person's chest armor was a breast plate, but unlike my own, it was fitted to cover the whole body with conforming components segmented out like muscles, but flat... And that seemed to be the whole point of this armor. Everything that could give me a hint to what I was dealing with was _covered up_. A red and blue cape like my own sat above the armor over one shoulder with a... _bes-a-gew..._ carrying the **DELTA RUNE** emblem on it pinning the cloth in place over the shoulder. /Sorry. I really am trying my best, here.\ ... Also unlike mine, the cape was _full,_ not ripped up. Over the other shoulder was a segmented pauldron with a round, yet sharply angled shoulder piece.

Arms? Coated by nearly full-metal gauntlets with spike-shaped elbow armor plated by gold. The knuckles too were gold. The hands? Leather on chain-mail. Further down, _fauld_ and tasset skirted the hips and thighs, a loin cloth of blue and red stripes further obscuring. /God, how do historians know how to pronounce these _words..._?\

 _Cuise_ and greaves totally encased their legs, the kneecaps of the armor shaped into a spike, just like the elbow armor, in gold. The sabatons were more like boot shoes, possessing thick rubber souls and many joint segments secured together by rivets.

And the final piece, a sheathed sword with a golden hilt curved outward and shaped like the wings from the **DELTA RUNE** and the pommel had the triangles. It was a long sword, plain as day. One-hander handle, long blade hidden in a long sheath. An armored hand rested on it.

 _-crink!-_

/ _ **-Sigh!-**_ _Done!_ Jeeze...\

... No sign that this entity was human or monster. Just that it had brown hair or fur with two red, glowing eyes hiding inside it's visor. I didn't know how tall or short they were and there was no solid evidence that it was male or female. A neutral posture that told me little...

... But because I was staring at this person from a perspective not my own, _I knew what they were like_... The stare I was getting from this memory or vision of the same person was calm, but dangerous. This was a person that wouldn't hesitate to kill someone, but they also resolved to minimize needless bloodshed. They had charisma, which was to say they could make you _feel_ like they were right. And then... there was a _drive_ that no one could stop. An endless resolution to carry out their mission...

This person wasn't _crazy_... They were **determined**.

... And then the vision ended, leaving me gasping for air and feeling like I had just gotten done running a marathon. Suddenly, I fell forward, only just acting fast enough to catch myself on handa and knees, dropping the skewered fish as I coughed into hand in a fit. I felt my body break out in pure sweat, but it felt like someone had just pulled me from the pool shy of drowning me first. /Heh. Irony.\ My coughing abruptly halted when I gagged on my lunch threatening to come up. Swallowing, I felt the same hand to my forehead and groaned.

That pain which shot through my skull turned to a headache _quickly_ while the Kytsater set their mask back on their face and stared down at me. "Most profuse apologies. It was the only way I could show you what needed to be seen. Words are insufficient when placing faces... Not as though this figure has ever shown theirs to me. The only one who knows their face is The Shepard."

After taking a moment to myself, I just looked up at Shorn and squinted at them. "Maybe give me a _ **little**_ warning next time!"

Tilting their head down at me, Shorn made a sigh. "I suppose warning was merited... I apologize. Though, now your interest has a face, hm?"

... I sighed and hung my head a bit, before struggling back up to my feet and standing up while grabbing the skewer again. I groaned out and rubbed at my face with my gloved hands... But beyond my pain was a question, to which I looked at Shorn for an answer through my fingers. "H-how did you do that?"

Another pause... Then, they pointed at their mask's eye holes. "Through my mask, these eyes are threatless. All Kytsaters must wear them from the second they grow the will to first open their eyes and glimpse the world, for if they do not, through their eyes do their thoughts lay bare for all to read..."

I frowned, hanging my head and folding my arms. "That's a pretty cruel racial trait... I mean, that basically means there is no privacy without hiding who you are, in a way."

They nodded. "Indeed... With no mask, our eyes are a _terrible_ curse..."

"How so?"

They turned their head and focused more on the ground, as far as I could tell. "..." Then, they turned to me and said, "Though our thoughts are laid bare, Kytsaters may _never_ remember each others' faces, unless they close their eyes before the removal of their mask. Beyond ourselves, it has the same effect. Should one's _uncovered_ eyes meet another's, that other's eyes unmasked or no, the one's face is instantly forgotten, regardless of if it was viewed _before_. If these unhidden eyes are stared into for too long, much more is forgotten. Amnesia would set in before much longer than ten minutes, meaning all personal memories would vanish, never to be thought of again... Eventually, the very foundations of the learned faculties would abandon next. And then... The final moment would reduce a victim to no more than a drooling husk- effectively rendering them nearly mindless, yet still able to relearn all... _slowly_..."

I couldn't help but shudder a bit, imagining such a thing in my head.

... Shaking their head, they then said, "Of course, this is merely what would occur should one not be able to tear themselves from a kytsater's eyes... or should that kytsater not wish to look away."

I nodded after a moment... Then, I shook my head. "Th-this... doesn't matter... as mean as it is to say that." I turned my head up from the ground and looked at Shorn's mask. "... I need to find someone. A deer monster with-"

" _Blond locks?_ "

My heart skipped and I blinked my eyes wide. I stepped closer, almost grabbing the fox-like as my face became critical. "You've seen her, then!"

The kytsater tilted their head and shook it. "I feel as if we've walked this path before..." Then, they nodded and flicked their up-until-then lazy tendrills and tail about. " _Yes_ , I have indeed. I _may_ even know where she is headed..."

This person seemed to be the literal jackpot of information for me. Everything I could want to know, they knew. It was too good to be true. And yet, it was.

And so, the obvious next question was, "Where do we go, then? She's just about the whole reason I'm here."

... They just stared, not taking their eye holes off of me... It felt uncomfortable and awkward... Just when I though the mood was going to become stale, a brisk wind blew through, making their tail and tendrils flap, along with my cape. I winced a little. There hadn't been more than a light breeze before then, but that felt like the beginnings of bad weather... And then, it was gone.

Shorn looked around, standing straighter than usual. "... Are you certain...?"

The out of place question drew me into humming at them with a raised brow. "Huh? Am I certain about what?"

... They didn't seem to hear me. Or more rather, they didn't acknowledge me. Instead, the kytsater seemed to be... _waiting_...

... ... ... The silence was starting to make me think they had frozen. I tilted my head, then brought a hand up, waving it in front of their face. They caught it after two waves rather abruptly, much to my surprised gasp. I yanked it away as they said, "Please do not do that. I am listening to **The Vale**."

I groaned a little at the **strength** I previewed in that grasp, shaking my hand about as I held my wrist. Their grip was as strong as a **vice**!

... After a moment, they looked at me and said, " **The Vale** wishes to speak... to _you_."

I detected that hint of disbelief in their voice as I blinked through my confusion. Dropping my hands and straightening up a little, I tilted my head a slight bit and asked, "Uh... How?"

"Through me. _I_ will act as her voice and _you_ will speak to the surrounding air, which will carry your words to _her_. And believe me as I say, she can hear you **well**." The kytsater tilted their head down as I felt a hidden glare cut through me, causing me to shiver a little. " _ **Mind your manners...**_ "

I swallowed a growing nervousness in my throat, eyes wide and lips flat. Then, I took a nod, putting my hands up with a smile that fit my nerves. "Y-yeah. Okay..."

Humming with a nodding head, the Kytsater turned away from me and perked her ears... Just then, a soft wind rolled in and she began to speak in a completely different tone and accent- one that sounded like old english. "With dear Shorn as mine voice, I must make apologies upon my childrens' behalf, for they are won't to offer..." That said, Shorn herself turned back around to me and bowed in apology... After a moment, she stood straight again and stared at me. "I welcome thee to mine bossom- to this forest's bounty."

It was... _strange_... But in that moment, I had never felt as much pressure weighing down upon me in my life- that I could remember. It was like speaking directly to the leader of a nation. Not even Mom compared... The reason being that I could _feel_ I wasn't speaking to Shorn anymore. It was almost like she wasn't there at all. And _they_ were imposing enough... Now, there was a "presence" in the air. A squeeze around my whole being. And I think my face reflected that. I was seeping sweat and my eyes were wide.

... I had to choke something out, so, coughing into a fist, I bowed myself and tried to speak as respectfully as I could. "I-it's not a problem... maám? I-I gather that it wasn't your fault. I just wish I could have convinced them that I wasn't here to hurt them. They wouldn't listen at all..."

Another gust of soft wind and Shorn made a hum... They shook their head and spoke. "Yon art of no fault. Thy intentions weres't pure and I am full thankful, in a manner... Though, thou would do well to belay such kindness next faced by their threat of magical weaponry... Yet, they are not thine _only_ trifle."

Groaning at the confirmation of a silent thought at the back of them all, I frowned. "I figured as much..."

After yet more swirling wind, Shorn spoke once more. "Thou mustn't lose heart. Not all of mine children beith of savage intent, though yon must be vigilant in thy guard. Yon fears be founded, yet ways of resolution yet remain within even the most violent heart... Though some, not of peaceful methods..."

I immediately assumed something dark, eyes wide. Shaking my head, I re-firmed my brow and narrowed my eyes. "If you're about to tell me to FIGHT them, I'm not doing that. Violence **can't** be the answer. This isn't some-"

" **SOME** violence is necessary," asserted Shorn, which made me wince. That was Shorn saying as much, not speaking for her mistress. As much was obvious by the clenched fists at their sides and the stiffness around their shoulders... Relaxing themselves, the kytsater unballed their fists and gestured off to the side at nothing in particular. "When **The Vale** speaks of a possibility of resolution that comes not from peace but from violence, she does not mean _killing_. This would violate a decree she _herself_ made for all to follow. And though you are not bound by such things due to a decree made lifting these things for Bright Ones, you wouldn't be looked upon with a smile or welcomed." Shaking their head a bit, they went on. "I presume to understand that she would mean rendering violent types _unconscious_ , regardless."

... I nodded after I understood that much, rubbing my chin at the word they used. "Decree." ... I turned my attention to her. "When you say _a_ decree, you mean there are _more_. And I feel like I don't entirely understand what all that first one you explained means. Could you explain a bit more?"

Shaking their head, the person-of-unclear-gender said, "No. I will merely alert you upon the possibility you might violate a decree."

It peeved me a bit that they didn't seem fully cooperative anymore and I showed that with a cocked brow and tilted head...

Though, that just made them shake their head. "Pass judgements if you wish, though your main concerns should be otherwise..." A gentle breeze blew by us, reminding me that we were being watched as I looked around. I thought I could spot the source, but all I ever did was open air.

The kytsater spoke again as they uncurled their fists afterward. "She speaks yet again. She says, "Young Eikon of thine lands, thee shall needs harry to the north-bound place- _The Dead Castletown, Anolith_. There, the heart of evil beats, stronger and stronger with every waking second. **The Black Geyser**. Thee know it ast a _**Dark Fountain**_."

I felt my chest rise with a sharp breath I took... It wasn't that I was surprised. No. I just wasn't expecting to be told where it was. The Fountain, I mean. And I wasn't prepared to go running right up to it to close it just yet, either. My reasons are pretty obvious...

My head tilted low and I stared long and head at the ground. Now that I think about it, I had completely forgotten about the fish on a stick I was holding, but that's not important. Turning my attention back to the native, I furrowed my brow. "I can't do that, yet. My friend comes first. I refuse to leave her here to fend for herself, so please... I want to find her. She doesn't belong here... Whatever you may think of her, she only stumbled into your world by accident."

Shorn made a soft grunt at my request, tensing and turning their head away. Yet, the wind blew a moment later... Though, the kytsater groaned in response... They turned to face me again and spoke more annoyed than before. "Understand well thy want and desire to protect, I do. Though I intended to allow yon all converge upon the singular goal, thy companion for whom yon pine is in the most danger, should she remain alone. She ist, after all, unfamiliar with mine blessings even now."

I squint in confusion at part of the one sentence. "Though I intended to allow yon **all** to converge..." _"Yon both"_ made sense for just me and Noelle, but _"all"_? It struck me as weird. I wondered with my eyes coming to rest on the ground, troubled being my expression. My thoughts had come to a very quick conclusion. Susie and maybe even Ralsei were already here. That concerned me as well...

But before I could retreat into thought further, a second wind blew by and Shorn spoke again, still groaning through the words they had to communicate, my attention back on them. "Very well, Eikon. I shall guide yon upon thy path to yon companion- the chosen upon which a fragment of mine power was bestowed... Shorn shall act as physical guide whilst I whisper within her ear upon where thou must tread. Beware. Thy way ist likely unsafe. Thine forest ist yet home to savage beasts..."

... There was an uncomfortable pause between the two of us. I couldn't see much, but I could feel plenty. It was like the kytsater was glaring at me. And that feeling made me look around in apprehension, sweat starting to bead. Whether or not they were is beyond me, but it was basically confirmed with their next spite-filled words. "You waste valuable time in this search... I should remind you that the unfaithful ever wander the forest and bring harm to both The Vale's faith and her yet-faithful children- themselves included, _even be they fools_. And yet, we shall search for a quivering _child_ afraid of darkness's reach..."

I grunt from the disgust in those words and furrow my brow bitterly. "Hey. What would _you_ do if you had a friend you knew needed help?"

There was no hesitation in their next words. In fact, they were all too excited to say them. " _ **Nothing**._ In this forest, such a coward would not last the tests. And though that may sound hate-filled, consider this: How would this friend fair were there absolutely **no** chance of a friend running to her aid?"

That put a glare on my face... I couldn't understand why anyone would just **leave** a person who was helpless and afraid to fend for themselves... or I didn't _want_ to understand it...

Shorn turned their back to me and folded their arms as their tails flicked with irritation. "Were she as helpless as you _believe_ her to be, she would die a pathetic death to the beasts of this forest... And though you may mean well, have you considered the harm of such protection?"

A chilled wind blew passed the both of us, the Kytsater coming to bow their head... As irritated as their words made me, I still begrudgingly waited to hear what The Vale had to say... only to cock my brow when Shorn started to walk away. "H-hey!" I started after them to follow them out of the thicket... Huh. I totally forgot about my fishy meal on a stick still clutched in hand.

Either way, they stopped and I stopped in behind them... They turned to give me a sideways glance, though I still couldn't see eyes in that mask. "Do you not wish to _save_ the coward? If so, then you can continue to pout as though you were fed ill-prepared meat. If not, then may we get on with this **farce**?" Then, they turned their back to me and started walking off at a brisk pace to only they knew where. "Further words waste further time. And your weak legs are slow moving enough, so follow quickly and silently."

It had only been a few minutes, but from the few things we spoke about and how we spoke, I already didn't like how Shorn thought... I didn't have a choice but to comply, though. They were my only ticket to Noelle. And so, I walked fast and close behind them... or as close as that big tail and wriggling tentacles would allow me to be.

... Still, if you want my opinion in that moment, I was thinking of how fitting those horns on their head were. And it'd be a while still before I could see their point, but I'd still see them as overly critical...

... Noelle did nothing to deserve all of this...

* * *

 _There we go. Yet another log into the fire._

 _Finally. After so many put offs, distractions and critical thinking sessions, I finally get to push in another part._

 _To be clear, this has TECHNICALLY been done in absolute certainty since 3/2/2019, but I didn't want to post this until I got a good deal into Part 10's writing. After all, this is mainly an exposition dump. Part 10 is where the meat is. And that part is still "early stages". You could say it's three major parts in one. I fully expect it to run a length of 10,000 words easily when it's done... Aaaand I may end up having to split it down the middle, which would make 2 parts._

 _Oh boy... ouo;_

 _Yeah, I'mma got on that, now. I hope you all enjoyed the part of the day, though~!_


	11. P10: On, Comet

Whew. Okay. Uhm. Well, I guess it's my turn again~... Haha... This might take a while...

It's me again~. Noelle? I'm here with j- uh, Kris, but only because we were both trying to get away from Susie and Ralsei for a second... U-uh! Wait! Th-that's not what that means!

/Noelle.\

Uh...?

/Calm down? No need to get all twisted up. After all, it's just an audio journal. Who knows if this will ever _really_ get out.\

... Yeah, okay. Sorry. I don't know whats wrong with me and talking into this microphone. It always makes me feel so stressed out starting... but after, I feel so calm.

/I'm pretty sure that would be because you got it off your chest.\

R-right... Well, this will be a good relief, then! ... Oooor I _would_ say that if this part of the whole forest episode didn't cause massive anxiety even to this very day~...

/... I mean, I'd offer to give another whack at my part, but...\

No! No... I-I'm a big girl. I can handle a little anxiety. Besides, it's over so it can't hurt me anymore...

/Exactly. So...\

Right. Well then. First thing's first. What did I do after I got down from the bridge?

Well... I started walking in the direction of the closest village I could see from up there, though my aim could have been a little off. I know the Kytsater Kris knew as Shorn told me to head toward the **Black Geyser** \- Or **Fountain of Darkness** or _whatever_ you wanna call... but I didn't feel safe enough or brave enough to go near something that looked... that foreboding.

I couldn't stomach the thought of being r-right up in front of there and literally capable of touching it. It made my stomach turn in a horrible way...

... So.. yes. I walked to the nearest set of lights I could see in the distance... And it took a long while. Walking through soft grass should have made it easier, but this only meant that the terrain was not flat or without holes. I can remember stumbling in a small pothole once or twice and stepping on tiny lifts in the ground... And passing over a steep hill that turned out to be a cave, so I had to walk back and loop around it, because there was no way I was dropping down twenty feet or more... The leaves were at least too big to get stuck on me. And at least it wasn't terribly humid or warm. My fur never helps in that sort of weather. It's why I prefer the winter...

-crinch!- -cranch!- -crinch!-

I gasped and whirled around to the continuous sound of both grass and leaves being crunched underfoot. Something was coming. My eyes widened at the sight of a silhouette of a creature twice my height even as it walked on four legs, but I couldn't understand why it was silhouetted in the first place. The forest had no true sources of light... But then again, I shouldn't have been able to see at all, in that case. (The dark world has nothing but darkness after all yet I could still see...)

/Uh, Noelle?\

Hm...? ... Oh gosh darnit! I'm sorry. Uh, forget about that for now. A-all you need to know is that the creature was big, scary and I couldn't see what it was, yet.

I shivered through my terrified whimpers as I backed away. "S-stay away...!" I pointed my staff forward, the weapon shivering along with me.

The creature finally seemed to walk forward out of whatever shadows had been cast over it, revealing it's true form...

It was a monstrous weasyl of some kind, but like everything else backwards here, it had scales in the stead of fur, the same color of orange as the leaves on the ground... until it suddenly morphed through multiple colors until turning green like the blades of grass. No ears, but the eyes and mouth were definitely there. Two fangs jut out from the creature's jaw, arced forward like mammoth tusks but shorter. The eyes on the creature were totally black. I couldn't even see a shine or spark.

As for it's paws, each toe was a claw in and of itself through the mere fact that they were pointed on their ends. Without fur, I could see the rippling muscles all over the creature's body. It was much more like a dragon than any form of weasyl I've ever seen. The tail was just as long as a weasyl's, but it's end was spiked by three bladed scale plates. Not terribly sharp, but they'd still do terrible damage.

A viral hiss burbled in it's throat as it continued it's approach as I quivered and backed away. It showed me just how wrong I was to think it had no ears by letting them unfold from it's head, standing erect as two webbed flaps exposing greenish-white flesh within glistening from moisture... It was gross, but more than that, this creature as a whole was terrifying... Still, it wasn't as scary as the Shulong.

... When I thought about it like that, I suddenly found myself wondering... What had I done before that made that beast stop? ... Could I do it again?

I didn't have time to think about it too deeply as the creature reared it's head back, gullet swelling. Opening it's mouth, it spat a boiling vat of blue liquid from it's lips, much to my gasping alarm! Screaming, I shut my eyes tight and held my staff high in defense while I sunk low! In that instant, a glow I could see even with my eyes shut shined from the jewel in my staff and...

-Vvrrr!- -Blaoh!-

Suddenly, both wind and leaves encircled me, spinning wildly in a dome around me as the spat substance was splattered into flecks on contact with the phenomenon, sending the spit away in all directs! ... I had created a barrier of wind and leaves! And judging by it's hiss, the terrifying beast was not very happy about this.

Opening my eyes, I came to realize this in awe of what I could hardly comprehend, eyes wide. I could practically see the wind currents rotating at incredible speeds with the leaves, though those same leaves seemed to have been singed by the attack... Still, as I watched my spell fall apart as the light of my staff dimmed, I was suddenly, frighteningly brought back from my awe, gasping at the sight of the creature's sharp paw falling toward me! I leapt clumsily back cradling my staff as the paw came slamming down in thud, planting it into the dirt a few inches deep! Landing on my back, I grunt from the landing, but was too busy watching in terror as the beast snarled overhead!

It's teeth bore down at me with a snarl. Then, it brought it's maw in toward, opening wide! I shrieked and pulled away to the side in a half roll, the jaws snapping down into the dirt!

-CRUNCH!-

Effortlessly, they raked the dirt and grass up from the ground, leaving a massive pothole in the ground where I had been! Seeing this, my face went pale and my eyes shot wide!

Turning my attention back up to the monster, I saw it spit the dirt back out, then glare down at me with it's teeth borne again!

In a panic, I whined and started to push away on my back as it readied for another snap. Before that came, I turned myself over and pulled myself from the ground with hands, hooves and staff! I started to get up, only for the beast to dig into the ground beneath my feet with horrifying intent! I only managed to keep my hooves because I stumbled from it's teeth and pulled them away without actually trying to! I screamed and stumbled forward, nearly ending up splayed across the dirt again, but catching myself just into to feel a shock like adrenaline hit me! Immediately, I pushed myself up and broke out into a full sprint across the forest floor!

After spitting the new dirt, the beast roared a terrible sound and started bounding toward me with alarming speed! I knew it was too fast to outrun, but my frightened mind could think of nothing else in the moment!

Bring bile up into it's throat, it spit it in a straight shot multiple times at me! Weaving around a tree allowed me to avoid the first shot as it splashed the tree's bark and immediately started smoking, eating away at the wood like a fire as it sizzled!

The next shot landed at my hoof, causing me to gasp and jump on pure instinct, more than clearing the small, bubbling puddle the jet made, but not all of the flecks that bounced from it. I am almost certain it singed a tiny portion of the leaves that made up my skirt!

And that third shot whizzed right over my head while it was on the descent, narrowly missing my horns as it used them like a field goal... I could hear the watery slush of the shot, it was so close!

It rounded the tree after me and started to gain. My heart pounded out of all control and my hooves ached. My leg muscles were burning already. I was running full steam and every cross country runner knew you never went full steam until you could see a finish line. I couldn't see anything by more trees and leaves, but I could hear the gnarly roar of the beast hungrily pursuing me, it's feet pounding and growing closer and closer.

I kept begging for it to go away under my breath as the tears welled up in my wide eyes. I kept pushing off from the ground so hard. At one point, though... My leg seized as the muscle cramped. I shrieked in pain and went falling over chest first, slamming down and skidding across the grass as blade got caught along my body as well as dirt.

I grunt intensely in pain and went to hold my leg, but then... a massive, scaly foot slammed down right next to me, causing me to scream! I threw myself over in heavy alert, facing the best as it roared overhead and snarled down at me. It suddenly gnashed it's teeth over me, letting me know exactly what was about to happen.

I shook my head and tensed as I started sobbing uncontrollably. I shut my eyes and held the stick of a weapon I had up as my head turned up and away! And then, as loud s I possibly could, I screamed out, " **SOMEBODY, HELP MEEEE!** "

In this desperate moment, the staff's jewel lit up brightly, a sound radiating out of it like a church bell. It drew me to open my eyes and stare as the light radiated outward in beats. ... Yet, I gasped from it and looked up at the undisturbed beast above me. It wasn't like before. It didn't stop it's attack. In fact, it hissed in annoyance at the light, then lunged down at me, jaws open and teeth ready to sink into me. I shrieked and shut my eyes again.

-THOMB!-

The unexpected sound made my eyes jump back open while I myself nearly jumped out of my fur! A deep snarl that sounded familiar sounded over me. A massive shadow had been cast over myself... and the beast that now hung from it's punctured neck inside another larger monster's teeth, still struggling even as it was dying. I couldn't help by shudder in a gasp as my eyes grew wide at the eyes I saw staring down at me. Those sharp, deep-blue, glowing eyes that possessed four-point star pupils... How could I forget them?

Above me stood the massive Shulong from before, biting down into the neck of the smaller beast now beginning to slow down in it's futile struggled. The proud creature slowly moved it's head to the side... before throwing the other beast from it's jaws, flying limply through the air and cracking back first into of of the gigantic trees. And then, it fell, but before it ever hit the ground, it vaporized into an all-too-familiar white dust, forming a spread out pile at the foot of the tree... In that moment, I realized that the now dead and gone beast really had been a monster... Some of these creatures really were kin to us...

But there was a more pressing concern that drew me from my realization very quickly... The Shulong... It still loomed over me like a hulk, drawing me into staring up at it with a deep fear still in my still wide eyes.

I hadn't realized that it was not giving me a particularly threatening look. Instead, it was a stare of concern that perhaps a dog worried for it's owner made when they knew they were hurt or sick.

It sunk it's face close to my body as I recoiled away in fear with a yelp, covering my eyes with my hands, shuddering uncontrollably. A low, deep toned whine came from it's throat as it drew it's tongue over my side, attempting to comfort me with multiple licks as my side was wet over profusely by result.

... As weird as it felt having a massive tongue lick over me, it did make me feel a bit better to know this creature was not attacking, but attempting to comfort me... I uncovered an eye and sniffled as my tears started to dry into my fur. Chuckling weakly, I slowly rose into a sit before rubbing a hand over the large beast's nose bridge. It closed it's eyes in response and let out a strange, vibrated sound like a more tonal purr. I thought I could see the slightest curl to a smile on it's face... God, just thinking about how big the Shulong was makes me feel so... insignificant... But... really, I thought at the time that this only made me feel more welcomed around it. The animal could have kill me with one of it's footsteps, yet it was being this sweet, concerned soul... It made me smile a little bit more as some form of calm returned to me... Though, I was still far from actual calm, considering my stammers. "... Th-thank you... Y-your's the same one... aren't y-you?"

What I hadn't been counting upon was it opening it's eyes and giving a sort of snort with a slight nod.

It surprised me, much like almost everything else here as I blinked. I cocked a brow and asked, "W-wait, can you... understand me...?"

Again, a nod, though it was accompanied by a rumbling hum.

While it wasn't a shell-shock moment, it was still surprising. A beast as wildly different as this could understand the words coming out of my mouth. It was untrained and incapable of speaking these words itself, so I couldn't help wondering why and how...

Even still, I shook my head and took a deep breath, before smiling up to the creature. "Then... th-thank you for saving me... You're not like the other animals, here." Of course, I had no idea...

... A-anyway. It seemed to like being thanked, puffing out it's chest a bit as it rose it's head high, smiling with it's sharp teeth. It was oddly cute, though the teeth were still quite scary... After all, those teeth just got done ripping into another animal's neck.

I made an uneasy smile, furrowing my brows through a soft giggle... Maybe it's strange, but the next thought that occurred to me was that I didn't know it's name or even what to call it.

Silly as it was, I raised a hand and asked, "H-hey... Do you h-have a name?" That seemed to made it blink from it's proud smile, face blankening. It stared at me... and then made a tilt with it's head like it didn't even understand the concept.

Flattening my lips together, I furrowed my brows and asked, "Y-you... don't understand? I-is that what you're trying to say?"

In response, it made a deep snort, nudging forward with it's head a bit.

While that wasn't exactly surprising, it was still something that bothered me. And so, with a hum, I tapped my lip with a finger in thought. "Mmmh... I don"t kn-know whether you're a girl or a boy, so that's a little tough... But m-maybe it doesn't need to matter..." ... It took a stale moment to think of a name while the large creature merely stared at me, curious and twitching it's ear...

... Y-you'll laugh, because it sorta sh-shows how serious we holidays are a-about our love for Christmas outside my mom... B-but I named them... uhm...

"I think you're a... Comet!"

... Ehee~...

/You know, I knew that was his name, but I never realized it was after Santa's not-monster Reindeer. -Snrk!-\

Ha, hum~... Uh... Anyways! What happened after that was that the Shulong blinked and perked his ears. (I suppose there isn't a use in hiding his gender, then~.) He eyed me for a moment, tilting his head.

"Do you mind that name?"

Shaking his head, the beast seemed to make a slight smile... Now that I think about it, was it furrowing it's brow a little? Eheh...

Smiling obliviously, I said, "Well, I'm glad! Comet it is, then!"

And then, as I saw it turning away to leave, I gasped and righted myself! "W-wait! Wh-where are you going?! Won't you stay?!"

Comet turned his head back to me with a stare and a blink... Then, he made a gesture with his teeth by snipping and snapping them together, before taking hold of his belly, rubbing. Not a second later did the area growl. And at that size, it really did sound like a growl... The shulong, somewhat startled at this, perked it's head before using his long neck to bring his head to that stomach, staring. He made a sort of pout before grumbling a noise.

"O-oh..." I frowned and nodded, rubbing an arm. "W-well, I guess I can't blame you, then. I wouldn't want to go hungry either."

Turning back around to look at me, Comet motioned his head to the staff I had forgotten I was still holding. I stared at it with a momentarily confused look on my face and a hum as I lifted it up straight... I turned to face the beast again and blinked, taking a guess. "You... want me to use my staff like just a minute ago when I'm in trouble?"

The shulong nodded his large head.

But all I could do was frown. "B-but-"

Before I could really say more, Comet had already jumped from the ground and started swirling up into the air, leaving me staring up as he took off!

... I frowned and bowed my head, sagging my shoulders. "... But I don't even know how I did it in the first place," I finished softly to myself...

Despite having gotten it to work once, I didn't know why it worked, nor how... Worse yet, looking around apprehensively at my surroundings, I had long since lost track of where I was going...

I frowned deeply and clutched my staff close to myself, hoping that if I got attacked again, I'd be able to call Comet to my side like before...

* * *

 _I planned to post both chapters at once tonight that I have done, but I'm honestly too tired to bother. ^^; I'll see to it in the morning._


	12. P11: Beliefs and Dust

... I had been walking for hours from then on. I was sweaty both from before and after the fact, making my fur stick to me and itch. My hooves felt ready to split. My calves were tense. I was sick of carrying around a staff... The only reason I didn't throw the thing away was because it was **absolutely** my life-line to Comet... And if all else failed, I was at least fairly confident that I could use it to give someone a mild concussion... Whatever the case, I wish he would have let me at LEAST ride him to wherever he'd gone off to. Though, I guess I needed to work on being some form of master. I've never had a pet before... But you'd be smart to never call Comet that. He might be sweet, but he has his dislikes...

... The next time I made myself look up, sweat dripping straight down my face, I gasped softly in relief and started to jog forth a little.

I had finally arrived to a place I truly would feel safe within... at least for a little while...

It was a small village teeming with a race of people I had once again never seen before. But we'll get to them in a moment.

The village itself was very interesting. Houses made like nests with branches and vines or whatever worked, but with simple roofs "tiled" quaintly by Autumn leaves. Some houses were large-ish with more detailed decor and some smaller and more simple. Some sat on the ground and merely rested like tents, but most others were indeed planted high up in the trees on platforms held up on branches made by... _more branches_ , really. It was all tied together and suspended up by ropes or even vines naturally growing off of the trees. Both made fences around the platforms to keep people from falling. Even more impressive, all of these platforms were linked together by what appeared to be rope slides or wood and rope bridges.

Silhouettes hustled all over by crossing said rope slides via hooks made from their magics. I could tell, because the hooks were the only things that lit up with a variety of colors. Those who did not have places to go in a hurry used the bridges to walk to where they were going.

It was all very elaborate, larger than I'd expect from someplace in a forest, and wide spread. It had to be half a mile long and wide, if not oddly shaped. That said, it was also very primitive. There was no way someone like myself could have lived in a place like that. Staring up at the nearest tree-mounted house in awe, I honestly wondered how someone would get up there. Certainly, there were the rope slides that led to all the platforms and houses, but... I didn't see any leading up to the top level in the first place...

And that's when I was treated to the exact how, to my alarmed gasp. I hopped out of the way, recoiling with my hands up in defense as a rope was dropped down, thumping upon the grass... Slowly, I let up on my guard, but kept cautious as I stared at it. It wriggle a bit, making me tense. Then, I turned my attention up just in time for someone to come almost face to face with me, smile over his fanged muzzle. "And indeed, a lass ye' are," came his loose tongue'd accent and smooth, young voice.

I screamed a little and jumped back again, readying my staff and pointing it at his face, much as he blinked a little at it's gnarly end. My eyes wide, I shivered uncontrollably in my fear and warned him. "Stay back! I-I'll use this! ..." And then, I blinked when he did absolutely nothing for a full half minute...

He even let me get a full look at him.

He seemed to be a sort of cabbit lagomorph or something, complete with a cat-like tail that had a bunny-tail-like pom on the end. He possessed absolutely **massive** ears as long as my arms and as wide as my head that could probably hear for miles... were it not for the great amount of fluff inside. His face was very rabbit like, but his silver eyes were slit like a cat's with blue pupils. The rest of his body was shaped much like a cat's, but with stronger back legs with large paws. They were complete with hooking claws that retracted

I am very certain I've said this for Shorn's hooves, but uh... getting kicked by those feet would have hurt... a lot.

The rest of his people were just like him, but their bodies varied in shapes and their fur patterns were too intricate for words. His shape, in specific, was slim, but well-built. His legs were the thickest things to his body that he had, but even they didn't look the most muscular or overly thick. Just average... Or as average as you would find in a forest when survival was for the fittest.

His fur pattern was amazing, like the rest of his kinds' fur patterns. The most normal details on him were his colors of black and white. Just about everything was black, except for his muzzle, fingers, his toes and the tops of his legs- not to mention the pom on his tail, which were all white. As for the rest of him, I saw white shapes in his pelt that belonged on mosaics or in a piece done by a famous painter like Sticafro. It was common for cats to have amazing fur patterns, but this was like staring at something else entirely.

The only shapes that I can recount from his fur clearly were the ones on his forehead. They were three thick crescents interconnected through their backs, but toward the one side and not the middle. They sat on his forehead, large and standing out above the rest, considering you couldn't miss them. On one ear, there also appeared to be a star-like pattern overlapping itself toward the bottom. One brow also appeared to be highlighted white while I could not make out the other.

He and his people wore the most "free" clothing out of any of the tribes I saw in the forest. Simply put, tribal loin cloths were about all the men wore. They were simple sheets of an unknown black fabric with beaded waist bands. The DELTA RUNE was painted on them in white.

The women wore black, bird (?) feathered skirts and bikinis with beads along their straps and waist bands, much like the men. The DELTA RUNE was painted on a cup of their bras.

I couldn't help but stare in increasing alarm as my very presence began to gather a crowd of these people. I frowned, backing away and shaking. I had no good idea of what they wanted, but I was scared. That was all I knew.

The original male blinked with a crocked brow, tilting his head. With a small smile, he dropped off of the rope he had been hanging from this entire time and huffed. "Whoa, whoa, Lass! You can calm yourself. We ain't meanin' ye' no harm. Tis' plain you're harmless as well, otherwise ye'd have smacked me up the jaw by now. Yeah?" He had no idea I could have well accidentally called Comet...

... Even still... I furrowed my brow further and dropped my staff from the ready, looking away while I sniffled. I-I know I'm crying a lot, but keep in mind that I was constantly being hit with unknowns and scared all the while it was happening. It was a case of constant overwhelm... "I-I just... I just want to go h-home..." Small tears began to well up on my lids as I covered my eyes. "I don't e-even know what I'm doing... I don't know why I'm..."

"Whoa! Ye' can take it easy there, lass. Ain't any use in the water sports..."

... I let my hand drop enough to peek with one eye, staring at the man as he smiled down at me. ... He was much taller than I had initially thought, yet I felt... okay... He wasn't intimidating, to be honest. I dried my eyes and sniffled a little, before looking up at him again, clearing my throat. "S-sorry... This is all very new to me... I-I mean, this isn't my home. I don't belong here..."

He took a moment to grasp his chin in thought as the people behind him began to whisper amongst themselves about something. I guess no matter where you go, there is still gossip, huh?

He smiled and stood with hands on his hips. "What's yer' name, lass? Mine's Baht. That's ah, not ar. I know my accent maybe makes that a tad confused."

I looked up at him, probably looking both lost and confused, and said, "Well... I-I'm Noelle..." I dropped my head again and finished with, "But... Why does that matter...?"

He shrugged while his tail did a swish and looked at me with an honest expression, but a neutral one. "Dunno... But the way I look on it, Noelle, everyone who's 'ere now 'as a reason ter' be here, including ye'self. So, while I know ye' ain't of around 'ere, I kinda fig'er ye' got two choices: fig'er that out ye'self or let ye'self walk on cryin' about yer' misfortunes. Dunno 'bout you, but that second one sounds a mite dim."

He extended an arm to me and laid a hand on my shoulder, even as I looked away, lowering my head while I sniffled. "You sound like my dad..."

"Might be 'scause I _**am**_ a dad."

I blinked up at the man in surprise while my ears bounced up a little, my cheeks pinkening a little. "W-wait... really?"

He chuckled a little, shaking his head as he said, "Nah~. That was me seein' if I could get ya' believin'!"

The admission made me stare blankly for a moment while he chuckled. I cracked up a little, even if I furrowed my brow. But I quickly recovered before leveling a narrow-eyed smirk at him, quirking an ear while I tightly folded my arms over my staff. " _Har har. Very funny_ ," I dry replied

With a hearty "hah", the man smiled honestly down at me and pat me on the shoulder rather roughly, causing me to yelp and shift a little. "Éy, there's a laugh. Even if it's fake, I'll take it!"

I made a soft giggle at this odd man with a wider, if not more nervous smile. "You know, you're pretty weird..." ... With a more appreciative smile, I went on. "But, thank you. You don't know me and you still went out of your way to cheer me up a little." I lowered my gaze to the ground tiredly. "But uh... b-backing up a little... I.. don't know what I'm meant to do beyond what a masked person told me to do... I just..." I frowned and looked off to the side, slumping my shoulders. In a pitiful tone, I told him, "I just want to go home..."

His smile vanished. The man eyed me for a moment as his tail twitched... He tilted his head and asked, "Ain't meanin' to ignore yer' hurts, but... The masked person..." I turned my attention back up to him, blinking as he cocked a brow. "They wouldn'ta happened uh have a queer tail with tentacles an' what not, would they áve?"

That he got that sort of detail right surprised surprised me... I nodded with a new-found curiosity and said, "I couldn't tell what sort of monster they were... or what **gender** they were, really... They just told me to go to that Black Geyser thing-" I pointed to the straight beam of luminescent darkness off in the distance and nearly obscured by the trees. "-and made it pretty clear they didn't like me..." At that last part, I bowed my head and frowned.

He made a critical expression as his tail flicked. "Well, I'll be. That's Shorn a'right. Kind of a harsh lass, though she means well."

I furrowed my brow in concern. "Y-you know her, then?"

He nodded. "Aye. I like t' think she's the last sensible Kytsater 'round 'ere. All the rest are crazed sons who'll likely linch their own offspring if they went against **RED EYE** 'S will."

The new name made me squint in confusion. Tilting my head, I asked, " **RED EYE'** s will? Who's **RED EYE**?"

She put his hand on his hips, groaning and shaking his head as the people behind him seemed to chatter amongst themselves. Turning to them, he said, "Éy! How's about ya ninnies give the girl ér space an' stop flappin' yer' gums!" They all grumbled and began to disperse Satisfied with himself while his tail swished about the air, he then turned his head down and took hold of his chin, massaging it in thought while he watched this one guy leaving. He held up a hand and called, "Hey! Ricord!"

The one male with tan fur, a stockier build and three brown, zig-zagging lines around his ear turned back to him as Baht walked over, a cocked brow about his blockish face. He had a full chin-strap beard that almost looked like a mane over his **actual** mane, which was thick and rough-looking. His eyes were blue and hard to read."Ey?" His voice fit that of the burly man he seemed to be. Large and rough. When Baht stopped in front of him, there was a **clear** size difference between the two. Ricord, as he was called, was twice as wide and three heads taller. Yet, he had a gentleness to his face.

Baht looked up at him and folded his arms. "Girl ain't been ére fer' more than minutes, but I fig'er she ain't ate nothin' nor drunk a swig. Leavin' a wanderin' soul hungry just ain't right, yeah? So, mind ya getting ér some grub? Somethin's tellin' me gut she ain't got long 'afore she'll áve teh' leave. An' somethin' also tells me we'd be doin' our forest a favor." He then leaned in on the big guy and whispered something, but that was beyond me to hear.

It made me feel bad either way to impose on these people. I'm sure my frown was telling enough. Though, he'd also left me wondering about **RED EYE**. Who was that? What was so important about them and what was so bad about following their "will"? At the time, I didn't know anything about a knight of any kind that was threatening what I **_still_** didn't know was the Dark World and not mine. Clueless as clueless could be.

... (C-can I just simplify it? It feels like I'll just be repeating everything you just told them the other day...)

/That seems fair.\

(Okay, good.)

Well... after he came back, he smiled at me and raised his brows. "How's yer' grip?" He gestured to the rope he had descended from upon for a hint as to why he was asking.

Staring at it, I sheepishly made a half smile. "I-if we're being honest, I've never been a great rope climber... I can never ring the bell"

For a moment, he cocked his brow at the mention of a bell. I don't know whether it was because he didn't know what it was or whether he just didn't associate bells with rope. Either way, he shook his head and smiled. "S'fine! All ye' have t' do is hold on tight as ye' can. A'right?"

It took me a moment to get up to the rope and nod, but I was soon wrapping my fingers tight around the threaded hemp with a worried look.

"No need t' look so worried," Baht told me as I stared back at him while he was getting a good grip on my arm with one hand and a better grip on the rope with the other. Looking at his one hand holding my arm, it was almost scary how strong he felt without actually squeezing too hard. In physical strength, that seemed to be the running theme. The forest folk were just physically stronger than us in tons of ways... Except for when it came to Susie. She's just stronger than average, period... But I mean, when it comes to Susie, who-

/Uuh...\

A-ah. Sorry. I did it again, didn't I...?

/Heh. It's fine... You ramble a lot when Susie's not around. You know that?\

O-oh hush! D-don't tease me! It's a coping mechanism...

/Right. Sorry.\

It's fine... and... _and I have been talking in-to_ ( _the mi-cro-phooone...! Huuuu~!_ )

/-snrk!- Uhm... You gonna be okay? You're face i-\

(You are not help...!)

/I know~. I'm sorry~. ... Really. I am. Just couldn't help myself.\

(...)

/Look, if it helps, I'll edit out this snippit. Fair?\

(... N-no... Leave it in. It's fine... I-it's embarrassing... but I think this m-makes it more authentic...? ... is the best way I can say it without feeling too embarrassed...)

/Oh... Well, okay then...\

... -Sigh!- Okay then... So... Where was I...?

/'Bout to take a rope ride.\

Oh. Right. Yes, about that. After I got to thinking Baht had great hand strength, he then told me, "Okay. Now, don't let 'er go." It was an abrupt command to me, because it came just as I was thinking that, so I looked up at him and let out a, "What," right as the cabbit was tugging on the rope. Immediately upon rebound, the rope tugged stiff and hard back up, ripping us both from the ground as I **shrieked**!

... Long story short, he gave me a pretty _quick and direct_ ride up into the upper area of the settlement before walking me to his house... It was not the most pleasant stomach flipping experience...

When we got into the comfort of his home, the first thing I did was ask about where I was. The question seemed expect, because it didn't surprise Baht that I asked. Despite the new attire, I didn't exactly look like a local or act like one. And so, I learned what this place was called. Autumn Vale. And when I said that I'd never heard of such a place, he responded with, "Yeah, tha's expected. Yer' a Bright One. So, ye' prob'ly ain't never heard of _anywhere's_ from the Dark World."

"Dark World" was what really made me squint. And that was a shock and a conversation in and of itself. It felt so unreal to me, but well... I believed him, based on the hypothesis in which I was 99% certain nothing quite on the same scale as that forest existed in my world. I could have always been wrong, but the assumption felt pretty right. It felt like it had been long enough for the Sun to have risen in the sky... or at least for a fair amount of it's light to have started peaking out over the horizon. When I brought that up, I got another one of those clueless stares from the cabbit. "What's a... sun?" When I tried testing him by saying, "The big, glowing ball in the sky that comes up after night time...?" ... he just sat there, even more lost. "Uhm... Sorry, but... _night?_ ... Are these... Light World things...?" And that was when I truly believed it... This was not my world. There was no way a single creature didn't know what these things were. And it wasn't that they were known under different names, either. I tested that idea... they never co-related to anything Baht knew. They didn't exist, here...

I had come to accept that, though just barely... My next line of questioning fell back to the previous subject. I asked about **RED EYE** and what his or her "will" was. And so, I heard just about the same thing as was told to Kris about them... I guess **THE KNIGHT** is a better way to remember, but here, only **RED EYE** was their known name, both to this place and to me.

... I didn't get any telekinetic images showing me what they looked like. I just got a generalization. A knightly figure with a red and blue cape over their shoulder and glowing red eyes.

Baht told me what their whole will was and what they believed the prophecy was foretelling in place of normal beliefs- of which he also told me about when he realized I had no idea what either of those two things were. Both of them had me concerned and even scared of an obvious expectation. I didn't think myself a hero of any kind, so I held back the idea. Though, it was obvious what Baht thought I might be...

... Honestly... Why should tripping down into a big, gaping hole in the ground make me some prophesied hero? Furthermore, Kris, Ralsei and Susie were already technically a group just like their legend foretold... N-not... that I knew about them being there at the time. And besides... the whole thing sorta just sounded like malarky.

Having been sat down on a log meant to act as a chair, I was sipping a sort of berry tea from this cute little cup carved from wood. After hearing all of that, though, the flavor was like a bad taste in my mouth mixed in with the confusion of conflicting thoughts. I had to take a moment and shake my head at all of what I had been told before promptly massaging at my face.

Baht gave me a sympathetic look, smiling at me sat across from me on another log. Between us was food laid out on a cloth sheet like berries, veggies or various other non-animal edibles that looked almost nothing like the sorts I was used to on top of a sheet spread out across the floor.

He told me, "It may be a mite to take in, but were it nothin' but the truth, would ya be a glance's moment away from seein' proof of a Black Geyser outside?"

I didn't doubt his facts. I was just at odds with them. Turning them over in my head against the facts I knew about the DELTA RUNE myself didn't help that. After all, uh... I knew where I'd seen it from far too many times to keep it from my thoughts.

... (It's okay to talk about this now... right?)

/Huh? ... Oh. Yeah. Go ahead. this is as natural a place as any other.\

(A-alright...)

I looked up from my palm and furrowed my brows at him with a frown. "Th-this is all... understandable... B-but you and I know the DELTA RUNE from very different sources."

That caught him by surprise, causing him to blink with a raised brow. He rested his front with his elbows on his knees while he asked, "In what way? Did ya maybe spot ém on some wall or other? We all got it on our clothin' an' such. An' not just us, but basically every tribe what worth knowin'..."

I shook my head and smiled a little. "Not any of those, sorry." Sitting straighter and resting my tea's cup in my lap, I said, "It's origin for me comes straight from our Bible. The Bible of Angelic. A book. And from there, we sort of started putting the DELTA RUNE on everything."

The word "Bible" threw him off for a moment, but the Word book seemed to light up his eyes with curiosity. "Oh! A book! Yeah, know all 'bout those. Though, we're more 'bout keepin' those sorts uh things fer' personal stuff or leavin' little reminders."

I nodded and gestured a wave with a more assure smile. "We work about the same, then. Though, a bible is a medium for recording key points of faith in a religion or communicating it's beliefs."

His head tilted as his expression became confused again. "So... you an' your's made a faith around the DELTA RUNE? Well, that sounds 'bout like us, though we áven't really recorded such in books. Like I said, the forest dwellers got the ancient murals..."

I made a crinkle in my brow with an uneasy smile. "But... doesn't that mean that people don't have a solid basis of interpretation? That's how this all started, by the sound of it..."

Making a click with some suction through his teeth, he went on to speak with a straight face. "I don't think so, honestly. The armor-clad i'jiot seemed t' know more 'an even our elders. Anyone who claims to knows more án Ol' Shelluer may as well call émselves a King Steiner."

... He took a pause as he squinted at me, making me blink in awkward silence across from him as I nervously sipped my tea. He then put a hand to his chin as he thought... "Ye' know... Ya' kinda have the look uh' one, if it were a baby-faced lass uh' fourteen summers... an' had tiny horns..."

... I just stared at him with a confused furrow, shaking my head. "I... don't even know what you're talking about...?"

He gave a shrug, smiling in humor of my confusion. "Yeah, I kinda fig'ered." Then, he took to leaning one elbow to a knee while he held his chin with a cocked brow. "So... All that said, what's the DELTA RUNE to yer' lot, then?"

Abandoning the thoughts of what a Steiner might be, I smiled nervously. "Well... I'll attempt to be brief, but you may as well get comfy. There's no easy way to explain..."

... I think this is as good a place as any to just directly explain it.

Ahem... Right. The Bible. Heeeere we go... A-and no, I don't mean to act as some sort of pastor or what-have-you. I'm just going to give a brief synopsis... (Or as brief as will make sense...)

... Okay. So, every religion has important persons or places, beliefs or ideals at the very heart of it's formation which has been shared by a great many people and passed around. And Our religion has several of these.

You see, our town's main religion is called Angelic. In this religion, the DELTA RUNE represents the good lord. God. They have no name, no true shape, no one true voice, but they created everything in our world. Not only that, but they gave birth to several sons and daughters- both human and monster-like creatures. All were and are called "The Angelics" and they all became paragons of a different sort. Virtue, Resolve, Wisdom, Innocence, Passion, Generosity. And finally, the last was a paragon deemed "The Guardian," breaking the pattern of names being derived from traits. And should anyone else do something just as worthy of praise as these Seven, they too would be written of... as long as they met one or two other criteria. This made people think of it as not only a bible, but a history book telling of the world's greatest people, not only heroes.

All of these people had names and they were born in different eras throughout history. I'd love to tell you all about them... but that would take far too long. At that point, I might as well pass you a copy of The Bible of Angelic.

While every one of them was devoted to doing what was right, fair and/or just- even kind, their deeds are directly related to their titles.

For example, Wisdom was known for his incredible intellect, which he used to provide for any ailed soul and even single-handedly halt one of history's greatest, oldest wars- The war between humans and Monsters. He-

/Uh, Noelle. Brief...?\

Whuh...? AH! S-sorry! I-I started rambling...

A-anyways, another simple example. Innocence was the kindest, most caring indivual, known for unbridled joy and putting a smile upon the faces of any who looked upon her happiness. She was a humble servant, yet she was always filled with love and joy for those she served and all besides.

The Guardian, known for innumerable heroics that are impossible to go through in one sitting, was a person who truly enjoyed life. Even as war was waged, they did the impossible and ended all of their fights without taking a single life. However... ... ... Right. Brief. Though, I think you can understand where that was going.

The rest of them, you can basically use your imaginations for and arrive close enough to the truth.

Though, I will say this: Every last one of these individuals existed in real life, though some religions may have named, deemed or followed them differently.

As you can about imagine, our religion is more along the lines of.. a collage of greats that we base our beliefs in. We took equal from every single one, not favoring one or the other above all else. Though, I guess you could tell Wisdom was _my_ favorite, ehehee...~

... Regardless to say, Baht was giving me a strange look after I told him all of that. And I think, if given a moment to take it in, you'd give me that look too upon making one simple realization.

He sat up straight and turned over a hand in gesture before saying, "Well, that's all fine an' sounds like a good book uh role models an' all, but... What made yer' people believe these seven blokes were sons an' daughters of 'God'?" He leaned in over his knees as he took an a-... well, I guess not an apple. It was purple... A purple apple... in his hand. "Someone didn't jus' go 'round claimin' t' be a son or daughter uh yer' big guy, yeah?"

I shook my head as I laid my cup down on the "table" in between us, smiling as I said, "Oh, no. There was one thing they all shared in common with each other."

The lapin man tilted his head, causing an ear to hang at his side. "An' that'd be...?"

"They were not born from anything. They simply showed up." I took a strange looking dark-brown bun of what I think was bread in my hands before I looked at the already befuddled man in his wide eyes. "And they didn't start out babies, either. They started out as children."

The rabbit man just about ** _dropped_** his head when he heard that with how wide of a dip it took. His face was pure exasperation with a squint. "Ain't no way! Yer' pullin' me leg!"

I cleared my throat and shrugged, shaking my head. "O-of course, I couldn't tell you if that is indeed true. I wasn't there way back when the original book that told of the first Angelic was written..." With a sheepish smile, I furrowed my brows and said, "If it _is_ true, that alone is incredibly unreal. But I'd call just about everything they did just as much unreal as that. Whether that fact is true or not, I don't think there is a single individual alive today that could have done what they did to give us the world me and everyone else from my world live in today..."

Recovering from his earlier surprise and disbelief, he shook his head and cocked a brow. "Gotta be some place, then..." Smiling a bit, he tilted his head as an ear flopped free to the side, hanging. "I can't rightly say I believe ye' when ye' say t' me they're true... but I _can_ see that the... stories... are held in high regard."

I nodded in understanding. It's not like I was trying to make him into a believer in the first place. It was really just a conversation that came out of telling him what the DELTA RUNE was to us. "To be fair, there are a lot of interpretations of the rune in our world. The belief that it's a representation of a higher power is only what is written into The Bible of Angelic..."

He returned a nod and took a hold of one of the strange apples, pulling it carefully from the pile as he bit into it. Pointing to me with the same hand, he spoke with his mouth full, saying, "If moffin' elshe, ish rilleh inth'resthin'." After chewing a bit, he forced the bite to one side of his mouth as his tail swished behind him. "Its pritty cool 'ow some thin's can be so diff'rent from place t' place like this." I couldn't agree more, though given the current situation and just HOW different it was for me, I was hesitant to nod in agreement. Swallowing after a bite or two more, Baht dropped his smile in exchange for a blander expression. "Though... It still kinda don't change much. Our problem's still pritty real. An' there's no tellin' what leavin' a bleedin' Black Geyser here in the middle uh The Vale 'll do t' her..." I frowned when I heard that and he went on with a serious enough look on his face. "It ain't been 'ere longer 'an a day an' already the animals are gettin' t' be pritty stir'n up. Feral monsters, too. Been attackin' without reason far too of'en, the both uh them 'ave. 'M jus' glad they 'aven't struck the village direct or nothin'..."

... It was the first time I was made aware that I wasn't the only one suffering and... well, it was eye opening. There I was, thinking before then that _feral_ monster attacks had to be commonplace in Autumn Vale, but it turns out that it was a new development made possible because of someone inviting some prophecy to happen.

... I was beginning to realize that maybe I shouldn't be doing nothing but looking for a way home. I wasn't a hero of any sort, though... so I really wondered what.

Turning my attention back up to Baht, I asked, "What.. do you think I-I should do...? To help, I mean..."

He turned his attention up to me with a neutral, possibly even confused expression. "Yer' askin' me...? Well, honest, I can't say 'at I know. If ye'r' feelin' some sort uh obligation t' do a fav'r fer' us 'cause o' what I said, ain't what I wanted..." ... He then folded his arms and legs before tilting his head. "I'm not about to be the one who bloody goes an' tells a wee lass to throw 'erself into a queer geyser t' make our lives ease a tad. Tha's nothin' to do fer' a problem ain't concern 'er.

Having heard that, it really did sound like the only way to help the people of this forest was to somehow become or find a hero... I bowed my head and stared into my tea, thinking hard about my options. I didn't really have many. There was nothing telling me that I would _**ever**_ be making it back to Hometown, much less finding a way to escape the forest with no prospect of the world around me, nor where to go when I finally DID find a way out. I'd be wandering endlessly, forever looking for a way to get back home or maybe I would just find a safer place to live for the rest of my life if that turned out to be impossible for the simple fact of being trapped in another world...

My options, that given, were very much limited. I was scared of that first possible option. I didn't want to give up trying to get home... But I also didn't want to abandon people that needed help... that could benefit from my being there... that needed someone to help them... Doing what only benefit myself and made me happy was what landed me in this mess, as far as I knew...

... I rose my head with furrowed brows. I had made up my mind, even if I was truly scared of the idea and it's pressure. Baht saw this and raised a brow. "... You... a'right there?"

... I opened my mouth to speak...

"Kytsaters on approach!"

The shout from outside caught my breath in my throat as I turned to the doorway, hearing the ensuing commotion build. The footsteps and thumps therefrom outside of passing figures grew plentiful for a time.

Turning back to Baht, I did a double take on him as I saw that look on his face. It was like when he found out I had met Shorn. He quickly rose from his seat and stormed from around the "table" before head to the door and standing there, looking off at something.

Worried and scared, I almost didn't want to know what he was staring at... but I got up and came to the door anywaysSo many of the "cabbits" were lined up outside and raround the platforms. Far more than I realized had lived there... Looking at Baht's gaze, I then following it down from the trees and to the ground below. What I saw were at least a dozen people like Shorn, but dressed in slightly more concealing attire made from leather... Two of them in particular were wearing a full arm of somewhat rusted knight armor on opposing arms. Whether or not that was a sort of strange way to rank themselves, I wasn't sure. Either way, they were quite a bit different from the rest of what you might call the faceless sorts... (They were still faceless themselves, though I guess they looked less plain.)

The first was a female, stern figure, taller than the other with a roughly made blue cloth tunic with an uneven skirt. It laid beneath a leather breast pad and it's belts. Her wooden mask was shaped like a Bird's face; an eagle's, maybe. The beak was a bit too long, though.

It looked like she had brown fur with black markings all over. One of her horns was cut away at the half-way mark, but looked like it would have mirrored the other's head-crowning shape. Her other unarmored arm had a brown, leather wrist band on that carried the DELTA RUNE on it in white. Toward the back, said horn curved up like a spine. One fox ear was forced to splay outward by the completed horn, the other standing up straight. As for her tail, I didn't see one. It could have been that she didn't have one.

She was holding a sort of glaive made of that strange white and black magic.

And the second figure was male. Oddly, a frailer figure. There was a certain level of femininity, but his body was all-around slim. He would have looked like a child, if he wasn't still taller than me. The wooden mask he wore was in the shape of a sort of Rabbit's face, but the ears had spines made of knots left in the wood and the two front teeth were... still together, but made up two halves of a large, wide fang. His clothing was more concealing than most others', consisting of a rough and uneven dark-red robe decorated by many black, swirling glyphs and a large, white DELTA RUNE above his chest. He also wore a grey cowl with sleeves for his ears to stay in that half covered that same symbol. It seemed somehow joined to his mask, meaning I saw little to nothing of his body.

His tail was the only things of his body aside from his cloven paws and small, blue-furred hands with orange furred fingers that I could see. It was thicker than Shorn's where his fox tail was concerned, but it only had short tendrils which hugged around the base of that main tail.

Unlike his.. err... _companion_... He wielded a sort of wooden staff, like me, with a gnarly head to it, but there was no gem. Instead, the staff just grew whiter toward the top.

The male stepped forward and turned his attention toward the tree homes. In an adolescent voice, he shouted, "Come out, Lacats! We've questions that you _will_ answer! We do not wish to become invasive, though refusing will result in as much!"

Of course, the word "Lacats" was new to me. With a concerned, yet question furrow in my brow, I turned to Baht to asked what that meant in a hushed whisper. "Lacats...?"

Turning his attention down at me without changing expressions from that serious glare he had, he told, "T'is our kind's queer name." ... Turning back to the scene, he carefully pushed me back and turned his attention to his fellow kinsmen... He used a sort of face and hand sign language to speak to a female member of lithe proportions. What exactly he said in that sign language was beyond me, but they two seemed to understand each other, as did many others. It seemed like a second language to them.

After the silent conversation was ended, said female member stepped out from her home and onto one of the more visible rope bridges, staring down at the group of Kytsaters- more specifically the male of authority.

To be a little more specific of what she looked like, she had deep-green irises and three light-red triangles on her slim face: two under her eyes and a third on her forehead. Cream-colored fur. Wore a type of thread-made charcoal bikini and skirt... Her tail was exceptionally long, almost as long as her entire body, with a thicker pom.

The one who called them Lacats looked up at her as she met his unseen gaze... It almost felt like, for a split second, they were sizing each other up... and then, the female lacat spoke high in a clear, yet mature tone. "What business do ye' Kytsaters have 'ere? We a'ready said we ain't about fightin' for or against yer' kind..."

The male kytsater huffed behind his mask and shook his head, responding as he stamped his staff. "Yes, I am well aware of your choice of "pacifism," so if you cooperate with us, we shall leave all the sooner."

While the two of them spoke, Baht turned his attention to me, while I sweat through a frown. Keeping it hushed, he told me, "A'right. While we're about keepin' ém busied, I'mma have t' ask ye' to sneak ye'self out."

The prospect made me realize the potential danger I was in, much as I swallowed and sweat my brow, coming to clutch my staff closer. "W-what!? _H-how...?!_ " I kept my voice down, more because I couldn't bring myself to speak any louder. My chest felt tight.

"A fair question," he said to me as he walked toward the spread of food. He was quick about wrapping it up and tying it all together... Turning his head to me, he cocked a brow and smirked. "Mind stickin' this sack t' yer' stick's pointy end?"

Blinking, I didn't immediately get it... Then I "oh"ed and turned my staff upside down, before taking the bundle of foods and poking my staff in beneath the knot, pulling it up and onto the sturdy stick until it slid to the head. Then I just sorta laid it over a shoulder. It wasn't quite as heavy as I thought it would be...

Nodding in his approval, the lacat smiled with hands on his hips. "Yup. That works. Should feed ye'self for a day or three, but waters gonna be _yer'_ prob'." He then began to pad over to entrance again as he spoke. "Gonna have to apologize to ye', lass. I ain't got any magic port holes what could take ye' from this place. Yer' gonna have t' figer' that that part out all yer' own."

That got me to shiver and bit my lip, tightening my hold around my staff. "B-but...!"

He turned to me with an earnest frown. "Yeah, I know. Easier said than doin' it, right?"

I was unable to control my shaking, which in turn made my hooves clack softly against the wooden floor, giving me a very good idea as to how successful that would be...

"... Very well. Ye' aren't gonn' to leave, so I'll save me breath. Everyone, make ye'selves known!"

I gasped at the words, Baht shaking his head out of frustration. " _'Course_..." Turning his head, he looked at me and said, "Ye'll 'ave to make do. 'F not, they'll likely take ye' dead or alive."

... Face paling fear. I bit my lip and shuddered, eyes wide as I watched Baht walk away and outside. retreating unconsciously further into the house very slowly, I backed up into the back wall before long, then sunk down into a sit... I curled up into myself as the commotion outside carried on. Hugging my staff, I whimpered out. "C-Comet...! P-please, help me...!" ... But he didn't come. The staff's gem never lit up or anything... I was alone...

And then, as a breeze blew into my ears, the noise around me deafened... and a goddessly voice called to me... **_"Can yon ears yet hear mine voice, Bright One?"_**

I gasped and snapped my head up, looking around in alert and fright. "Wh-who's there...?"

 _ **"Ah. At last. Mine gift hath begun to truly awaken within you."**_

I furrowed my brows and attempted to retreat further, hugging my legs as I continued to look around for something I couldn't find. "G-gift...? Wh-what...?!"

 _ **"You've naught to fear, Child of Light. I am the guardian deity of this bountiful forest... I am The Vale. Gentle Mother whom protects the children of darkness which lay within mine bough."**_

... It was a bit much to believe, but the voice was so... soothing. Yet, it felt like it bathed me like the wind around me. "Th-the... The Vale...?"

 _ **"Indeed, dear child. Do not fear, for I have madest contact with intentions pure... Mine wish be to providest thou aid in this, your time of greatest need."**_

... I didn't know a thing about her nor whether or not it really was The Vale, but I knew that I didn't have any options... Loosening myself up, I pleaded, "Please... I-I'm scared... I don't want to be h-here..."

 _ **"Then plainly recite mine words and channel thine mind into thy**_ ** _staff whilst thinking of yon friends._** **"**

It made no sense how that would save my life, but I had nothing to lose. Staring desperately into my staff, I tried to focus, but everything was chaos. I tried to think of my friends, but my thoughts kept falling back to my immediate fear!

 _ **"Young one, you must needs calm thy mind and focus."**_

I whined and bit my lip. She wasn't helping with this pressure... But... I did find one thought that comforted me... I found myself thinking... of a better time when me and Berdly were laughing... I thought of Monster Kid and their klutzy ways of falling over and still getting right back up... That time Catti smacked the old Kris for that terrible "humans hiding under the bed" prank, then treated me to pizza to calm me down... a time where Jockington did that cool jump-rope trick of becoming the rope... (... This is embarrassing to admit...) All the times my dad and I played games together... The rare moments where my mom thawed and laughed with us...

... ... ... I thought of the newer memories of Kris smiling while they told me about Susie... and I thought about... Susie... I couldn't stop thinking of her, actually... and that was when I stopped shivering... I wanted to see her again...

I opened my eyes and stared into my staff... I was still afraid, but I wanted to see her more than anything else... So, I focused while The Vale spoke to me, wind still blowing softly around my body, blowing through of floating my hair.

 _ **"Repeat mine words, Child... 'Dust cast mine form, wind takest mine soul.'"**_

"Dust cast mine form, wind takest mine soul..." A soft glow began to emenate from the gem of the staff, red and green.

 _ **"'Deliver both wayward a friend and makest me whole.'"**_

"Deliver both wayward a friend and makest me whole..." The glow grew brighter as my body was slowly being surrounded by the same light, much to my surprise! It was making my fur stand on end, as if I had goosebumps... Taking a deep breath, I shook my head and refocused my attention to the gem of my staff, sweat trailing my brow. I needed to focus, so I forced back any logical fleeing thoughts. _Just keep thinking of your friends, Noelle,_ is what I thought to myself...

 _ **"'Ianuae Magicae.'"**_

"Ianuae Magicae...?" I had no idea if I said that right, but my staff suddenly felt less solid as the light off of it pulsed outward. It was falling apart into dust...! I gasped upon realizing that... Then again as I felt my body begin to shiver! I clutched my sides and groaned as the light around me grew! It was blinding! And before I knew it... _my body burst into glowing dust!_

 **-BISS!-**

I was totally aware of what was going on... but I felt no pain, even if alarm was my main emotion. My body had been dusted, but I was very much alive... I was seeing all of the dust surrounding myself, but I was unable to move or make a sound... If I had to guess, the point of view I had suddenly taken was that of a MONSTER SOUL amongst the dust. I thought I had unwittingly killed myself!

Suddenly, the dust from my body started to swirl and gather around "me". It was both an awe-inspiring spectacle and a truly mysterious terror. I had no idea what was happening!

The next thing I knew, I was suddenly shooting off out of the house, carried upon a strong wind! It was disorienting and terrifying, but above all, it should have been **impossible.**

I didn't know exactly where I was going nor if I was even alive anymore. I had just been disassembled into my base elements and I was still conscious of it all...

... Uh...

/Hm?\

H-hey, Kris?

/Yeah?\

Uhm... I think it would be better if Ralsei told what happened after this. I-I sort of... fainted at some point... Remember?

/Huh... Oh yeah, now that I think about it, you did mention that... I guess I should have invited him.\

... O-oh well~! It just gives us some rest time in between, r-right?

/Right.\

... S-so I just turn it o-off like this?

/Err. No, th **at's the microphone volume.\**

 **O-OH SHOOT. UHM. H-HOOO, DANG IT, I DID IT THE FIRST F-FEW TI-**

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

... ... ...

* * *

 _Phew... That's both of Noelle's parts._

 _I won't lie. I have been battling a wicked cough for the duration of two weeks. It's been real, but I'm glad I got this done during that time._

 _There was a lot to consider in these chapters. Between Noelle's abilities, the different fauna, the Lacats, Hometown and beyonds' religion and so much more, these two chapters have been choc-a-block full of world building. And I get it. That seems to be all I'm doing.I love this sort of thing, I won't lie. But I hope you've all been enjoying that. we'll be getting to the good stuff soon._

 _Now for reviews..._

 _Iduneven - While I appreciate the flattery, let's not target anyone. ^^; That said, your point is very valid. As for your guess, I guess we will just have to wait and see, now won't we? Though, getting to a point in the story when that dream might be relevant will take quite some time, I suppose._

 _oof - ^^ I'm glad that I seem to be succeeding there! That's why I go into such detail when trying to describe their faces and action. I would love to see how this could look in game form, but I am not Toby, nor am I skilled in making any such games. XD_

 _FlygonNick -Yus. Many moosin exposé! 8D And here's some moar!  
_


	13. P12: Company For Loneliness

**_Rule of thumb. [] is background Susie, () is background Noelle, / \ is background Kris, ** is background Ralsei. Keep that in mind.  
_**

* * *

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

... Hmm... Testing. Testing. 1,2. 1,2. _**I am a big, dumb, goober head.**_

... Okay... Audio balance looks good... Jeeze, this thing had **better** work. I paid one-hundred and twenty somethin' big ones for it.

*Uhm. Hey, erm... Kris?*

/Eh?\

*It's been a few months, right? Shouldn't you first let any listeners know what happened?*

... I mean, I guess. It's only fair...

Okay, so... We screwed up. I'm not gonna go pointing any fingers, but the mic uhm... It got wrecked. Like dragged to the ground and smashed kinda wrecked. Sooo, I had to put this whole thing on hold... It's been about, what... five- no, Six months. Sheesh, I can't remember. But the first mic belonged to Azzy. After we're done with it, I plan to give this to him- uh... That doesn't matter.

Anyways, yeah. We have been out of the game for... half a year. Fun. Here's hoping this mic works properly. It's got an air shield, so it's probably better.

... Okay. Now, let /me just... ... Mh? Uh... Hey, I never noticed this before... Where'd this jumbled up file come from?\

*My apologies. I saw that, but I assumed it was a... joke? Or a test file?*

/Well, maybe one of the Fun Gang besides us made i-... Uhh... That's way too early. The date's ... ... What the hell?\

*Huh? What is it? What's wrong? Should I have deleted that file?*

/This was made... BEFORE Part 1. But.. that's not possible. It's not like we had this computer 'till a year ago. We still had the old dinosaur and that was wrecked...\ ... ... _-click-ick.. click-i-click... ... ... click-ick-_ /Okay, that's ... It's not an audio file... _-click-ick-_ ... _-click-ick-_ ... Mmh... I can't even open it. It brings up that dumb program select window. No idea what to do with that. And I don't wanna try figuring out what program runs it, because I might screw it up... Whatever it is, the file size is tiny. 57.2 Kilobytes ain't much at all. Whatever it is can't be too huge... I'll go ask Noelle over. _-Crooank~!-_ Here, Ralsei.\

*U-uh?*

/It's your go anyways, so this is perfect. Kinda wish Susie was here, too, since she's a part of this, but... Well, maybe I can get her over here, too, if I can get Noelle.\

*Uhm... Oh... Well* if you insist, I would love to continue! _-Crrnk!-_ I like to tell stories and that _should_ include biography~.

/Great. And remember. **One-hundred percent fact.** No omission or censorship. No matter **how much** you want to. _**I know you.**_ \

Er... R-right. I'll try to keep the vulgarity in, then. But I'm not saying the F word! It feels **_wrong_**!

/Fair enough~. I'll be back. _Don't stop being cute on my behalf~!_ \

O...Oh! Uhm... Well, then...

 _-laughter-_

 _-Ka-thunk!-_

... _-Sigh-_ Kris, you're wonderful, but.. gosh... My cheeks feel like pincushions...

... Mh? O-oh shoot! This was recording!

U-u-uh... H-hello everyone~! I'm very sorry, th-that wasn't very professional! ... E-ehm...

Okay... Uuuh, we left off with me and Susie following a bridge down, so the most fitting place to resume at would beee... Well, no. That's most likely not what you're current interests are on. I think that Noelle left us off around **THAT** point.

So, maybe... Yes. That seems the best place to continue~.

Okay. Imagine you are walking through a section of that giant, eternal autumn forest and stumbled upon a section that seemed to merge with a grand stone plaza with stone buildings utterly surrounding the area, but ravaged by the wears of time. Regardless, half covered up in mosses and leaves, wrapped up in trees, the plaza looked more **_"planty-grade~"_** than stone~!

... ... ... Erm... Okay, maybe that's not the best way to describe the environment. Puns and flowery talking do not a good description make. I apologize. We won't do that again... unless we forget and.. do it again...

... This is about the time when Susie would pipe up and say that I'm being what she calls "cringe", so per- I'll get on with it.

She was still carrying me on her back when we wandered here, groaning about something unrelated to myself as she walked. And that was when she stopped. I was half awake at this point, fairly rested compared to before as I began to yawn... And that was when I felt her hands pull away from me, causing me to plummet through a wide-eyed yelp!

 _-Bmph!-_

I landed right on my rear end and tail, grunting. Slowly rising while she started to fool with something at her back, I groaned and squinting at her begrudging her for interrupting my waking up. Still, I soon began to "crack a smile" when a chuckle escaped me. I held a hand over my mouth and asked, "Uhm, S-Susie? What are you...?"

She grunted and ripped that weird tail thing that had been attached to her backside off, a very annoyed, glowing-eyed glare directed my way as she held it up. "What does it look like I'm doing?! **I'm chuckin' this piece of crap!** " She crumpled it up- which I didn't know you could do to a rubbery tail- and threw it away on the next passing wind... No, really. It went sailing away like a paper airplane. I couldn't- and I don't think she could, either- believe my eyes as it went floating away.

She slumped at the shoulders and back for a bit... Then, she shrugged and smiled more at ease as her eyes vanished from their previously glowing stare. "Ahhh... Smells like leafy freedom..."

... I shook my head with a quirky smile, sinking my head between my shrugging shoulders. "If that makes you happier...? Th-though, your defense just dropped by-"

"My Defense is perfectly fiiine, goat boy," She assured, waving my comment off. Turning to me, she smiled in a cool manner and huffed a confident laugh. "I bet the tail was secretly lowering my **badass** points, anyways. Those super equips always come with drawbacks."

With a huff, I merely decided fighting her on the matter was useless.

"Oh. And by the way."

I blinked and hummed, tilting my head.

Squinting at me with a heavy deadpan, she told me, "I had to fight like twelve different and WEIRD critters while you were taking your little beauty nap. And you didn't even stir!" Resting a hand on her hip, she leaned in on me and assured, "Next time you fall asleep, I ain't carrying ya. Fighting one armed almost got my ass eaten."

My face paled with sweat while my mouth puckered. Turning my attention to her coat, I realized it had some tears in it. And her pants were filthy. One of her arms had a brush burn at the shoulder... I frowned and huffed. "I-I'm sorry, Susie. Here. I'll heal you."

Straightening back up and folding her arms, she huffed while I went about it. Closing my eyes and fixing my glasses a little, I then raised one hand, pointing a finger up as a white light dimly lit the tip. A soft wind from my swirling energy furled through my cloak. Before long, I brought my finger down and pointed at her. The light glittered off of my finger and "splashed" into her, white becoming green and softly swirling around her body.

Not only were her wounds healed, but I also mended her clothes back to a presentable state before the green light faded into obscurity. Shivering from the experience, the purple monster groaned, before stretching her arms, lifting her chest and sighing roughly into the air with relief. "Aww yeah... That's the good stuff."

Smiling at the reaction, I furrowed my brows and humbly asked, "Better?"

When she was done stretching, she gave a thumbs up casually and smiled in a lax way my way. "Hah. Better? I feel like I could do it all again! Your healing rocks, dude."

That made me smile. It was always nice to get compliments. Thankfully, I had a lot of energy due to my nap. So, I didn't really feel the drain. Though, I would try not to use my magic any further without building up TP...

I could have asked about why Susie had to fight in the first place. Knowing her, she probably had some hand in picking a fight without meaning to. Though, instead I decided to look about the area. {Maybe this place has a story}, I thought. Walking off a small ways toward a building, Susie seemed to follow behind, even while she told me, "Hey, do we really got time to waste on broken ol' buildings?"

I shook my head and sighed, stopping before I got more than 3 yards apart from the stone structure. "I suppose that is true... Every moment here could well be time Kris and Noelle are in trouble..." Turning around, I instead decided to merely lead on the way we had been going before, walking at a decent enough pace.

... I stopped... Turning to look at the buildings again, I frowned. "Still... Seeing these once proud buildings like this... Doesn't the sight make you a bit... sad?" Susie stayed silent enough, other than a huff.

... I merely turned myself back to the path and kept walking the plaza.

"... Why should it be sad?"

I didn't really stop, though I did slow my pace a bit, humming in question... With a furrowed brow, I gave my answer, but remained walking and facing forward. "Well, think about it. Structures like these can be seen all over the forest."

Impatient, she scoffed. I could practically feel her rolling her eyes at me. "Yeah? _And?_ "

This time, I stopped, sighing at the ground... Turning to look at her while she crossed her arms, I kept my head tilted low with a sad smile on my face. I really had wanted her to pick up on the idea on her own. "... They're all empty, but at one point, they were almost certainly filled with many, **many** people..." My eyes hit the ground when I came to compare it to something... familiar... "But.. now, it's empty... Like back where _I_ live." My smile started to look flat. "I mean, the buildings around my castle are in great shape. I kept them that way.. but..." ... I frowned, frankly deflated. "... They're still just as empty as these buildings, still just as lonely and forgotten as these buried streets, here..."

Susie's eyes bugged a little as they lit up through her surprise. Though, they vanished when she started rubbing her arm with her head down. "Oh... I... guess this sorta thing really sucks for you, huh?"

I rubbed at the back of my head with a kicked smile, casting my eyes back to Susie. "I-I mean... this is the first time I've brought up feeling this way about my home with... a-anyone.. other then my imaginary friends..." I found myself hot in the cheeks. Susie letting out an uncontrollable chuckle through her hand didn't help.

I threw a deadpan her way while she took her hand from her mouth, smirking while she cocked her brow at me. "Dude. That's not something you admit to. Come on, who admits to having imaginary friends?"

... I turned my head up and narrowed at her with a frown. I don't know why that bothered me so much, but it did. It _**hurt.**_ "Ha ha! Yes, go ahead and **laugh**!" Susie's smirk fell in disbelief, eyes wide. I went on with fervor while I turned my back on her. "Yes. I made _**imaginary** **friends**_. Can you truly blame me? It was so **boring** going day after day all alone in a castle- in a town! Haven't _you_ ever felt that way before? I'd sometimes get surprised by Lancer every now and again, but... well... I'm older than he is! A lot older! And it wasn't always something that could happen. Most of my life has just been me, all alone. I don't know who my parents were or _are..._ Wander-ins were all I had in the way of true company..." The anger just ended up dissolving into a somber frown on my face while I rambled on for a bit longer. When I turned around and went on, Susie actually looked sorry with her own frown. "And even then, they didn't come anywhere **near** my castle town... From what Lancer told me, people are forbidden from going near the Fountain... I could have left... but... I had reasons to stay... and uncertainties about leaving... So.. yeah... I made imaginary friends... Riddi and Flora... They kept me company in my loneliest times... They're my oldest friends..." I nuzzled my face further into my scarf while I stared at the dirty stone below foot. "I ate with them and played with them... Flora would read stories to me, bake with me to make sure I didn't burn a pot with water while I wasn't paying attention, then help me fix the things that broke around town and in the castle from age... Riddi would act silly, kind of dense and eat flowers, but he was always the emotional support."

... "Kind of sounds... I dunno. Nice, I guess...? I'm not very imaginative, so I don't think I would have thought uh' doing that." Turning my eyes to look at her with a blink, she seemed to have a bland expression, but that was usually without the eyes. That I could see them meant she felt more than neutral or nothing about it. She kicked the ground, turning her eyes on me, shrugging slightly while pocketing her hands into her coat. "Didn't and don't have that many friends, but I've never really been _your_ kind of alone..."

... With a soft, half-hearted smile, I huffed through my nose. "I don't recommend trying to live with it for yourself. It's hard to keep things interesting night after night..."

We both began to walk again, but this time I tried not to pay attention to the buildings that sat desolate and ancient around me shamelessly. Susie didn't protest. Still. I couldn't help giving a few particularly livable ones a prolonged stare and frown...

"... How long were you.. you know... alone?"

My paws padded to halt and my head tilted down... Then I cocked a brow, looking up at the building and tree-lined sky of black... "Uhm.. hmm..."

I could practically see my purple compa- err, friend raising her brow at me when she asked, "Dude. You know how **old** you are, right?"

... A guilty smile on my face, I bit my scarf... before answering, "I-in.. theory...?" I guess the scarf in my mouth muffled what I said, too.

The purple monster massaged exasperatedly at her face, turning a full circle in pacings. I couldn't blame her. That was a terribly unbelievable answer. And thus... "I... Dude, I can't believe that! That right there is im-..." Dropping her hands from her face with irritation over a lack of understanding, she asked, "Wh-How would you have fended for yourself when you were in diapers, dude?! No way you were smart enough to do it when you couldn't even stand up straight. Same for lifting! Anything that a normal kid could do!"

My face was riddled with a pleading smile and sweat. She had a point, of course. I conceded that... I mean to say, who remembers being that young? The idea at the time was... "Perhaps not THAT far back. I am certain someone took care of me long enough for me to think, act and fend for myself..." I hung my head with a sad smile, shaking my head. "But I DO remember a terribly lonely childhood..."

Susie seemed to calm down at that point, having no choice but to concede that much at least. There was, however, one big question that needed addressing... Folding her arms with a lean, she stared at me and asked, "Okay... Don't take this the wrong way, but... wouldn't that mean something pretty big? It don't matter to me much... _Mostly_... But you said that we need a human, a monster and a _prince_ from this world when you were talkin' prophecies with Kris... ... ..." She tilted her head at me as her eyes dimly became visible, clearly focused on me. "Ralsei, if you ain't got any idea who raised you, what the hell made you think _**you**_ were a prince? There's gotta be something... Right?"

... A big question with a very real need to be answered... There WAS a reason... A few, actually.

Though, I admit... I was hesitant to speak of them, averting my gaze from her's. "... I have my reasons to think I am a prince... Though... I fear you will find them... unsatisfactory... I'm embarrassed to say that there is no... concrete... absolute evidence..."

... All she did was shrug and huff. "Ain't nothin' 100% in real life, right? You got reasons, so... let's hear ém."

... I-

 _-Chck!-Squea!-_

[Eeeey!]

Huh? Wait, Susie- eep!

 _-Bommm...!-_

/Hey! Watch it- the mic's hanging! I just bought that thing and it cost way to much to break!\

[Huh?]

(Uhm, Susie. Your right hand at Ralsie's back...?)

[Uh... Oh. Uh.] _-Ss-s-sclunnng...!-_ Mmmh... 'Bout right, yeah?

*Can I pl-lease be put back down? It's nice to see you two, though...! Tight!*

[Pff, I've squeezed you tighter. But whatever~.]

 _-Krnk!-_

Wheuh... G-huff-...give me just a moment, d-dear listeners... H-huah...! It is best I get everyone on the... same page.

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

... ... ...

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

[-get it, I get it! I'unn'even have pizza this time! **Sheeh!** ]

/As long as we're clear.\

... Okay. And so, we're all ready for me to continue. Yes?

(I believe so, yes.)

['Course, as long as **your** _**highness**_ is!]

/Oh, I'm ready. I don't really have a part in this, but then I've never really heard this part before. **_You guys made clever omission of it._** \

Regardless, the mic is already on. I can't really stall any longer...

Well. I'm sure that you all have waited long enough at this point. Yes? Let us continue~. Ahem...

... I was about to give Susie my reasoning behind why I thought myself a Prince From The Dark. The only problem was that I hadn't been counting upon a surprise.

As soon as my head turned up and my mouth came open, a strong gust of wind blew through and would have taken my hat with it had my hand not snapped down atop it! "A-ah!?"

Susie groaned and shielded her face from the wind, eyes narrowed in frustration. "Damnit! What now?!"

The wind blowing through began to gather, in a way, and grow significantly weaker. However, it was still strong enough to billow through our clothes.

I had to squint to keep my eyes from drying out, even with my glasses acting as a slight barrier! Though, what I saw made them grow wider beyond my control... The wind had seemed to form a dome between. I couldn't SEE it's currents, but I could practically see the force pushing at my vision. Beyond that... I could make out something that carried a warm, glowing light... and something bright white at the center of it all... It was shaped like an upside down heart, I think, turning in the wind's rotations. Or maybe a spade. THings tend to look fuzzy when you're staring at something while your eyes are drying out, I found.

Quickly, those warm glints of light began to assemble around the white heart. It wasn't long before we couldn't see it beyond those fine filaments... They were forming into the familiar shape a proportions of a person. And that shape only became more and more defined in the short moments before they began to produce that very thing. The lights pulsed and dimmed as the wind began to settle. What now floated down from it's gusts to the ground was... a person. A deer-like monster.

(Er. Reindeer, actually.)

 _Reindeer_ -like monster... Actually, I guess that makes sense. Female deers usually don't ha-

[ ** _Ralsie._** ]

Ahem! Right...

At the time, I could never have hoped to recognize who it was, but I hardly expected Susie to. "Wait... _**NOELLE**_?!" After a blink, my head snapped to look at Susie. She rushed into the wind which flapped her clothes while it died down and held her arms out to catch the reindeer monster.

When finally she landed in those arms, *apologize in advance for talking like I don't know you,* this Noelle person fell limp in her arms, dropping the staff that had been materializing with her. It clattered and clacked to the stone ground, it's red and green gem flickering with a dim light before growing dark.

With the slow rise and fall of her chest, I could see for myself that she was still alive, but her eyes were closed. She was unconscious, as it were.

Laying her out on the ground, Susie looked to be sweating while she made her own observations. She placed an-... ... ...

 _-Creak!-_ *Susie?*

[What now?]

*Do... you even _have_ ears?*

[Huh? ... Oh. Hah! I've got **BETTER**! I have ear **_HOLES_**! See?]

*... Oh... Oh my, so they are like Pangolin ears. How interesting...! Uh.* Sorry about that.

She placed an ear to the obviously female monster's upper chest, listening... Pulling her head back away and sighing, Susie smiled in relief. "Whew! Thank god. I don't have to do any weird Critical Aid spells. _Hardly have any to begin with..._ " She looked my way and said. "So... this is that friend I mentioned before. Noelle."

Having already padded my way over, I knelt down in my cloak and looked at her for myself. "Noelle, hm...? Another Lightner."

"Yeah..." The purple monster girl cocked a brow at Noelle's dress before saying, "But uh... This.. **_ain't_** exactly her style... Even if it does look like Christmas, kinda..." ... She looked at me for a moment, her expression one of indecision. [... I was deciding if I wanted to wake her up or ask him about the prince stuff.] Yes. That.

... Regardless, Susie sighed and simply shook her head, deeming it better to focus on the monster that just delivered herself to us. Though, we didn't know how literal that was, yet. Leaning it, the purple monster reached for Noelle's face and gave it a few taps. "Hey... Hey, Princess... Wake up, damnit!"

Gasping and shaking awake, Noelle's eyes snapped wide from the volume of Susie's demand! [Uh. Hey, can we just not-] And the next thing we knew, _she had pushed Susie over to the side_ \- letting out an alarmed yelp, head on a swivel as she fumbled for and took hold of that staff! " **Where am I?!** " She looked at me and immediately blurted in panic, " **Who are you?!** " Then, she stood up and pointed the wrong end of her staff at me, much to my confusion while she shuddered on her clopping hooves. " **Stay back or I-I'l-I'll sick Comet on you! H-he'll chew you up and spit you out!** "

Sweating and more than a little nervous, I smiled with my hands up, trying to communicate that I meant no harm. "Please don't be afraid. We mean you no harm." Then, I pointed to the slowly rising purple monster. "Though, one of us... you should already... know...?" I blinked my eyes wide and frowned. "Eh, S-Susie...?"

When she was finally on her feet, she uh... looked... angry... I could tell by the way she bore her teeth and how her eyes were glowing without any pupils.

The reindeer girl turned to look at her, not prepared to see this side of the monster girl. She gasped and let her staff hit the ground again, hands up over her mouth.

I furrowed my brows as I began a slow approach. "N-now, Sus-"

"S-Susie...?"

... A part of me thinks what happened next was so unexpected that our current emotions were overpowered by surprise. Because Susie's expression and mine were both wide-eyed. (H-hey. Can't we simply ski-)

 _And what we saw was a reindeer girl quivering on her clopping hooves, sniffling into her hands with eyes like a puppy's, overflowing with tears._ "I-I... _-Sniff!-_ You-you're.. h-here..? _-hic!-_ "

*... I'm not making any exceptions, _just as Kris told me_.* [... I hate you.] /Hey. I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. It's not my fault you-\ _-Thwack!-_ /Auck! **_Fine!_** Whatever- I'll shut up!\ (...) [... What? They've been trying me since we got here!] (... Couch.) [Gick...! Ugh... **_Sorry, Kris._** ] (Thank you~.) [ ** _I hate you all._** ] (I love you, too~.) ... M...may I _continue_... maybe...? (Yes, you may~.) Thank you very much...

Susie blinked her eyes visibly as she let their gaze drift from the reindeer while a hand itched the back of her head. "Uuh..." Before she could find words, the reindeer's arms were around her in a forced, tight and close embrace... And she started sobbing openly. I saw my purple friend's expression morph with both discomfort and... something else... sympathy?

[...]

As for me, I couldn't help but smile a little through a furrow, even if it hurt seeing her cry... I couldn't have imagined what Noelle must have felt about Autumn Vale until now. A fearful girl stuck in a forest and all alone save for the dangers lurking within? No one could dare blame her for getting overwhelmed by the emotions stirn up by finding someone she knew... And more...

[... Pff... You make it sound romantic.]

... You didn't throw her off of you and you didn't ask her to stop. Instead, you looked almost like you could hardly bare watching her cry, so you looked away out of frustration... The pain in your expression was pretty hard to miss, Susie...

[...](...)

... By chance... do you have something to say?

[...] _-clmp... clmp! Clmp!-_ [Move it for a minute. I can't believe you're making me talk to this thing. _Again._ ]

But I didn-

 **MOVE** , fluffy boy!

Eep! _-Crnk!-_

... **_-Crrrnnk!-_** ... _-sigh-_... ... ... As much as I **HATE** admitting it... Ralsie pretty much nailed what I was feeling. I was frustrated. Seeing her like that... hurt... And I don't mean that in a romantic way. Get that straight right now, okay? ... ... ... If you saw a kid come running at you, screaming and crying, probably scarred for life by whatever just scared them or hurt them or whatever ... Are you cold enough to just stand there and look at them? ... I guess it's pretty damn obvious that I ain't...

... That's part of what I felt...

... The other part was what I said I'd do when I saw her...

... Remembering that made me act without thinking and pretty much **yank** her from around me. She gasped. Looked pretty damn confused. And scared. I raised my hand, narrowing my eyes down at her, gritting my teeth and trying to look like the scariest thing she'd ever seen... And then, I saw the **fear** in her eyes. A leaf shaking in the wind, pretty much. I could knock her down with a little love tap... Pretty sure Ralsie was staring at me, afraid of what I'd do next... Felt like I was back home...

... I tried gritting my teeth harder, growling and clenching my hand into a fist. She shut her eyes and weakly tried to retreat into herself with the most pitiful whimper. The tears wouldn't stop runnin' her face... She looked pathetic...

... No matter how hard I clenched my teeth, it didn't feel hard enough. My fist didn't feel real. It was like I was numb... I was so mad. I wanted to punch her and make her realize the world didn't care what she felt. It would be a reality check on her whole life, I thought. And it would maybe teach her what happens when you don't take up for yourself. {It's what I want. What someone should have done a long time ago! Just _ **throw it!**_ } ... The best part about all of that- by which I mean the _worst_...? I realized that I was about to live up to what Berdly **thought** I'd do... _And i realized he was **right.**_

All of that came together in one massing headache of emotions and... well... I couldn't throw the punch...

... Instead, I just sorta... slowly brought my fist most of the way to her head and... then gave it an open-handed pat up top... It felt weird... After that, I just stared and watched her open her eyes she was so confused... but I guess relieved, too...

... The anger was _mostly_ gone... I didn't smile or frown... but I said something...

"... Been having _fun_ , Princess...?"

... ... ... It took her a little bit, but she smiled, passing her wrist across her eyes before choking somethin' out. "... N..nope~... _-sniff-_... It's.. kind of s-sucked..."

... Alright. I'm done. That is the sappiest you'll ever hear me. Bye. Eugh. _-Crrnnnk!-_ ( _-giggle-_ ) _-Clop! Clop! clop! Thmp!-_ [Somethin' _funny_?] (Maybe~.)

*... Well then.* _-Crnk!-_ I guess... that I can just continue from there. Er. That was very well done, by the way, Susie. I was not expect such fine na- [ **Zip it.** ] ... Rude... Very well, then. Let's just focus on the telling of our tale.

After I saw that nothing terrible would happen, I couldn't help but smile. It was a very touching to behold... Though, I felt oddly jealous of Noelle, staring sadly off to the side... I admit. I sort of felt like a third wheel without our fourth there to fill the void... I found myself thinking about them... About Kris. We still couldn't do anything without them. But more than that... I wanted to see them again...

...

After a short moment of my staring off into space... "Hey, Fluffy Boy!" Susie's voice made me jump and whirl around, blinking in confusion.

She was giving me one of her easy smirks, standing arm to shoulder with Noelle, who was smiling shyly over to me. "I thought _you_ were the polite one. Introduce yourself so _I_ don't have to."

Blinking a few times, I then smiled and nodded. Padding over to them, I turned my attention on the reindeer monster and curtsied. "Hello! My name is Ralsei." Straightening my posture while she nodded, I smiled a little bigger. "It's so nice to meet you."

She flushed a little while playing her fingers to each other... and uh... Well, she stared for a while... Noelle, why were you staring for so long? It really did confused me.

(Oh. Uuuh...) [Oh my god.]

...? Er... What's.. there to blush over?

(W-well, you s-see... I.. uhm... _-Cough-_ Thought you were _-cough-_ cute... Not very shocking, I guess.. but... We-well, I'd just met you.. H-hehee~...)

... O-oh. Hah... Yeah... That's... Well, _anyway_ , Noelle didn't say anything at first. She just stood there. (I w-was trying not to say wh-hat I was thinking~.) ... As.. if she were holding something back... Ahem. Yes. Well. It confused me and I ended up asking, "I'm sorry. Is this an awkward way to greet someone in the Light World...?"

It made her blink a few time before she stuttered out, "O-oh, no! N-no-not at all." Smiling more honestly, though still nervously, she then said, "I'm sorry. My mind was somewhere else..."

Stepping out of Susie's arm, she put her hands together at her lap and bowed briefly. "M-my name is Noelle. Holiday." Sweating and clearing her throat through her smile, she finished with, "I-it's uhm... A pleasure!" ... And then she blinked into a wide-eyed stare. "Wait..."

Whirling around to Susie, she frowned and said, "I-if you're here, th-then... Susie! You know how to get back home! Right?! O-or did you fall in here like me and have no way of getting back?!"

At first, we were both confused, but after I walked over to Susie and exchanged a nod with her, she sighed, rubbing at her muzzle. She turned her attention back to The reindeer monster and said, "I know how to get back out, so you can keep your... leafy skirt on."

Noelle's eyes were practically **sparkling** with hope as a smile spread across her face. She started to bounce a little on her clopping hooves and... I swear that she was jingling. "R-really?! I can get back home?! To our world?!"

I blinked when she said, "our world." And while I wanted to ask about that due to obvious implications, Susie didn't care and simply stated, "Yep," while dropping her hand from her face. She followed it up with, "But you won't like what it'll take. And it's gonna be a **while** before we can."

Immediately, the doe's smile fell into a frown of worry, a furrow in her brows and her bouncing stopping, along with the jingling. "Wha... Why?"

The purple monster turned to look off in the distance. We in turn, did the same, though Noelle didn't know what she was meant to be seeing. She turned her head back to Susie, just about to ask when the monster pointed toward something. And Noelle followed her finger's directions out... until she frowned with dread. Susie spoke. "You've gotta have seen that beam thing, right?" It was a little hard to see from where we were, but the tall, ruined buildings around us nearly centered it between their rises; the Dark Fountain shooting up and splitting the sky above.

Noelle, nodding, answered. "Y-you mean the Black Geyser? A man named Baht.. t-told me about it..."

Susie scoffed at the name, rolling her eyes before she said, "If that's what he calls it, then he wasn't very smart."

Noelle looked at her as if hurt. "H-hey. That-"

"Either way," the purple monster cut in, "That's what'll get us back home... **IF** we can close it. And _we_ can't."

Eyes falling, the reindeer continued to frown. Though, she looked even more disshearted than before. "W-well... It's just my luck that the creepy, ominous beam of black light turned out to be the way home..." She turned her eyes back to Susie and in turn met her gaze. "But uhm... Wh-why can't we close it? Is it one of those things that only someone of this world can touch...?"

Simply shaking her head, the purple monster responded, "Nothin' like that. _**T**_ ** _hey_** can't even close it. And probably don't **want** to, if what me and Ralsie went through is any big hint."

That little detail caused Noelle to tilt her head lower, sweat clearly dripping down her cheek. "Wh...What do you mean?"

I sucked in a lung full and tried to say something, but again, Susie cut me off and simply stated, "The locals tried to kill us, but me and Ralsie scared them off." I let out a deflated sigh after that, bunching my cheeks at her despite the fact that she wasn't looking my way. _Obviously, that's not how the event went. I already told of it._ [Dude. If I hadn't stopped you, you'd **literally** have taken just as long as you did then to tell the whole story.] ... Wait. You did that on purpose? [Yeah. I did. Problem?] ... _-sigh-_ No. No, _not at all._ I'm just going to continue...

Hearing what Susie said happened, Noelle was understandably shock. "W-wait. They attacked you? S-surely it wasn't the l-"

"We can talk about this later," snapped an annoyed Susie as Noelle yelped. The doe apologetically nodded and silently listened. Sighing, the purple monster turned her attention back to Noelle. "As I was saying, the way we understand it, the only thing that can close up a Dark Fountain is a Human. I don't get why, but that's the way it works. And that means that we need Kris. And yes. They're here, too." ... Susie's expression grew visibly more angry at that and I grew worried... but nothing ever came from the look. She merely shook her head and shrugged, turning her back on us to look out at the sky again. "So, I don't really know what the hell to do about that. This place is **massive**. Kris is the only human who could possibly **be** here, but that doesn't make them easy to find."

... She threw a glance over to Noelle with a neutral expression, but her tone was... slightly irritated? "I was _kinda_ hoping you'd both be together. This makes things harder than they already were..." Noelle seemed... unpleasantly confused, all things considered.

Then, our dear scalie friend turned to me with a groan, crossing her arms and tapping her boot impatiently. "This is just **great!** What the hell do we do?! Where do we even _ **LOOK** **?!**_ I don't even know how long we've been walking and I already feel like this is a waste of time!" And then, she began to pace in front of us.

I frowned, dipping my head low and nibbling my scarf. It had become a nervous habit at that point... I didn't like the idea that came to mind, but frankly there was only one sensible procedure. Turning my head back up, my eyes followed after Susie as I spoke. "As much as I **really** do not like this idea... I think the idea of looking for Kris is out of the question."

She stopped and turned her head to me in disbelief... Then, she walked over to me and leaned close, teeth borne. "The hell does **_that_** mean?! I ain't about to go traitor! So-"

" _ **Please**_ ," I screeched with my hands up. She seemed to calm down enough to put the teeth away as I went on. "As I was _going_ to say, we cannot hope to find Kris in all of this dense, expansive and twisted forestry! But _they_ can find _us_! Or at least travel to the same place we're headed. Maybe even meet us half way, if we're lucky..."

... The purple monster snorted through her nostrils and backed off a bit, her expression a calm, neutral one again. "... You're givin' Kris a lot of credit, there. I'm guessin' you think Kris is strong enough to survive on their own...?"

Nodding without hesitation while putting my hands back down, I smiled a little. "Yes. And it is precisely because of their being a Human."

And it was this admission that made Susie throw a cocked brow down at me, arms folding. "Dude, them being human is **exactly** why you should worry. No magic and not that strong."

I merely shook my head and told her, "Please, hear what I have to say."

A soft pause... Noelle seemed utterly lost, but she also looked as if she was hesitant to speak, rubbing at her hands and looking away. Still. She asked what they were probably both thinking. "Uhm..." Turning her eyes toward me with a great curiosity, she asked, "Wh-why do you think Kris can survive on their own... specifically _because_ they're human?"

"I've never met another besides Kris, so I haven't much real world knowledge to go off of... However, what I _did_ discover in my castle's library astounded..." My brows furrowed when I really though about what I read, despite my smile. "... and scared me." Relaxing with a sigh, I recalled what I read and what I had already passingly told Susie. "Remember when I said that human determination was like a monster's critical impulse?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it wasn't a fair comparison... Maybe in your world, these things are much weaker. I wouldn't know. Not really. However, _here_? In the _Dark World_? Human determination is a very strong POWER to behold. Ordinarily, determination has the power to allow even the most injured human to persist **long** after they should have fainted or exhausted themselves. When the state of being determined runs even higher, it can save their life and allow them to withstand _would-be_ lethal blows. It can even, like critical impulses, work with their adrenaline and make them more powerful in short bursts..."

Susie had a skeptical expression on her face, shaking her head as she seemed to roll her eyes. " _Riiight..._ "

"A...Actually..." Noelle was the one who spoke, which drew the both of us to look at her, though the purple monster was making a face that read as 'you're can't be serious.' The deer-like monster had a flat, no-nonsense expression to her face, even which she twiddled her thumbs. "What Ralsie is saying is absolutely true. In **both** worlds, apparently. While human determination makes no difference to another human apart from _smaller_ differences and persistance, it can save one from a monster, in the right circumstances. A human can overpower what was a physically stronger monster if they are **determined** to do so. Because to a monster, the most powerful a human can be is when they are determined." ... She then gave a furrowed stare at Susie as she huffed before telling her, "Susie, we were taught about this stuff when we reached our fourth grade level. Why don't _you_ know about this?"

At this, the larger monster scoffed and looked away, almost seeming offended. "Hey. I'm not the schooly type, so anything I don't _**have**_ to remember, I'll **forget**. It's not like we got that many humans around other than the DUPS guy and Kris." [Before anyone makes it a big, long-winded thing, DUPS stands for Dockit Union Postal Service. There. **I just saved the listeners a mystery.** ] ... Well, they'll still wonder who the DUPS guy is, won't they? [ _ **OH. MY GOD!**_ ]

R-regardless of that useless side note,- [ _ **HEY!**_ ]- it appeared to me that our worlds may not be so vastly different after all. It intrigued me enough to make me pause and consider for a moment what _other_ things the two worlds' could share in laws of reality and beyond. Though, I shook my head and merely smiled. "Well. As long as that point is made clear, I think it is safe to say that Kris will be okay on their own. They have something that we, as monsters, do not. Though, that isn't to say that Monsters are weaker than humans. Merely-"

" _ **We get it, Ral!**_ " I shrunk back a bit when Susie abruptly shouted.

Clearing my throat, I nodded. "Ye-yes, well..." I looked out toward the beam of darkness- the Dark Fountain, then back down in front of myself. There was a building in front of me... but a little ways back the way myself and Susie had been walking was a byway road leading out in that general direction. If we were lucky, we'd be led out of the ruins there and on our way through the forest again. Hopefully, we wouldn't accidentally wander into a nearby settlement or something worse... Or at least, my hope was that we would not happen upon a hostile one.

Regardless, I fully turned around and pointed toward this splitting-off road. "I believe, with some luck, that this road shall lead us to the most straight-forward path to the location of our Dark Fountain. We can wait for Kris there, when we make it."

They both walked alongside me, Susie on my left and Noelle to my right. Thankfully, Noelle had picked up her staff from the ground, hugging it close to her in her hands as she stared at the road. This brought up a question... Did she know how to FIGHT, ACT, SPARE, PACIFY and so on? And so, with an uncertain smile directed toward her, I asked, "Uhm... Excuse Noelle. However, I need to ask you." She hummed in question at me. I asked, "Do you know how to conduct yourself in a battle?"

She seemed confused, before she oh'd and furrowed her brows, hugging her staff even tighter to herself while her ears drooped. "I-if you're asking if I know how to fight, then uhm... no... I only kind of know how to call Comet to deal with people trying to hurt me. A-and Comet doesn't know how to hold back..." Realization seemed to dawn on her as her eyes grew wide. "Oh! And one time, I put up this weird wind and leaf barrier around myself. B-but I don't know how I did it..."

She smiled nervously, but Susie let out a groan, eyes lighting up to stare with an unimpressed deadpan down at the reindeer. "Great..."

Disregarding Susie, I smiled softly. Comfortingly, if that is an apt word. "I can teach you everything you'll need to know. Though, we'll need to do it as we walk. Time will not wait for us and neither will Susie."

"Uh, excuse you. I'm right here."

"Kris, too."

"That doesn't make it better, you cheeky **f** -"

"Time is wasting," I chimed as I began to walk toward and down the side-road with a merry grin.

/Ralsie?\

Yes?

/Was that censor?\

Actually, no. Or rather, not really. You see, I cheated your rule, in a way.

/... _You censored her back then, didn't you?_ \

I did~.

/... Clever boy...\

Lucky is more apt, but thank you none-the-less~! I'm fairly sure that I also told you I wouldn't be saying the _ **F**_ word, regardless.

/And now, I wonder if you're lying... I'm taking one out of Susie's book. You're lucky you're _cute~._ \

... H-heh.. uhm... M-hm...

[ **I'm going. to _hurl._** And I'll aim it at you.]

(Susie, ew.)

W-well. Uhm... O-on the way down the road, I began to teach Noelle verbally and demonstrated what I could not physically. I may or may not have demonstrated my pacify spell on Susie, but it didn't work... [ _ **AND I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE SLUGGED HIM FOR IT.**_ ]

... Actually, this may be the best spot to stop for now. Didn't we want to have Noelle look at the one file?

/That's true.\

(File? ... Oooh, that's right! That's what you brought me here to do. Duh. I completely forgot while I was thinking about... well... _everything_.) _-Tmph tomph!-_ (Could you please move, Ralsie?)

Oh. *Uhm. Yes. Of course.* _-Crnnk!-_

 _-Tmph! Tmph! Tmph- -Crrnk~!-_ Sheesh. I'm sorry. But your computer chair is far too noisy... Er. Asriel's...?

/Yeeaaah, sorry about that. It needs some W.D...\

[This better not take too much longer or I'm peacing out.]

Susie... You wouldn't leave without me... would you~?

[Wha-... Gah! No! Put that face away! Right now! I'll stay. Geesh...]

I thought so! _-Click-i-click!-_ Now, what are we dealing with? ... I'm just going to guess it's this file that looks like letter, number and symbol barf? I saw it before, but I kind of thought.. it was a joke.

/That's right... But.. wait. So, I'm the only one that never realized that file was there? How? I'm not blind... or at least I didn't think I was...\

[Time to get some glasses, dude. My eyes aren't perfect, but even I saw that.]

/...\

... Well, regardless, let me see what we can do. _-click-ick- -click-ick-_ ... Hmm... I think I can open this with with a word pad, actually. But I don't really understand. The file type's .WPD... I have no idea why you can't open it. _-click-ick- -click-i-click-_ ... Mmmh...

/... Well, that's just a bigger mess. What was the point?\

... Actually, this isn't a mess. I recognize this sort of thing, but I.. can't remember what the type of... coding(?) is called... 6 2 8? ... No, uh... ... ... It was something with a six. I know that much, but uhm... W-well, Berdly's the _**real**_ coding expert. That bird could take numbers, letters and symbols and turn them into just about whatever they were meant to be. ... Should we give him a call?

/... Know what? Actually, that's perfect.\

P...perfect? I thought you two were still arguing...

/Well... yeah. We are. But I think he'll agree that us talking for him and about him without getting him in on it would be pretty _eh_. Right?\

... Y-you want to get him to read.

/Eeeyup.\

But... he wasn't in the Dark World with us.

/ ** _Exactly._** He's the only one that can REALLY tell our audience what happened in the **_Light World_** while _we_ were gone. And he can tell them that in **detail**. Remember that something pretty screwy happened while we were in there.\

... Oooh, that's right! We couldn't tell anyone how th-

/Shh! The mic! Don't spoil it!\

Uh.. er... Oh.

Hey, uhm... guys. We're going to end this part off here. I'm pretty sure th-this isn't all that interesting, right? Our background noise? So uhm... Come back next time to h- _hopefully_ hear Berdly tell about what happened in the Light World! W-while we were in the other!

... U-uhm... Bye~!

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

... ... ...

* * *

 _ **... This chapter... I swear, this chapter has been the WORST. I couldn't decide where I wanted to end it. There are several ways I wanted this to go and I went through three drafts of the first two portions that I DIDN'T like because they were FAR to bloated- even more than this one. There was a lot to unpack here. A lot to address. I debated a lot with myself about whether I wanted to break up the talking with an action scene, but it felt too forced. So instead, I did what felt natural. I let the Fun Gang's commentary run wild. It's pretty much become a part of the story, at this point, even though I didn't plan for it to stay. Going back a bit, that action scene I almost did didn't make sense for a reason I can't disclose, cause, you know, spoilers. And I realize that it makes this feel like there isn't much going on in reality. But the one thing I don't want to do is force it. Or make you read through what would essentially be a random encounter for no reason.  
**_

 _ **And since this is being told from Ralsie's point of view, I didn't have the freedom of putting the encounter at the front side of the chapter. That just wouldn't make sense of feel real. It would be a constant stream of "Susie told me that" the entire way through.**_

 _ **That said, this is the first time a chapter has ended on something so obscure. Since I was already incorporating their commentary fully into the story, I thought I should make it serve a purpose. And I think this worked out**_ **very _well. But you guys are the final judges. I don't get that say. Lemme know whether that was a good move or if I SUCK. ;u;  
_**

 ** _... Oh and actually, there was a joke I cut from that section. No harm in saying what it was. I was going to be a little deviant and have this very controversial scene where Noelle accidentally clicks on Asriel's uh... "secret stuffs" folder. It was complete and it's entirely interchangeable with this final version's rendition of the "file scene." I had way too much fun and writing Noelle and Susie's reactions to it were so great~... But honestly, it REALLY doesn't fit my whole image of Asriel. No matter what form the good goat boi takes, I couldn't do it. TuT; I'd FEEL those sins start to crawl up my back. ... But maaaybe I'll take whatever other outtakes I have in the future I place them into a totally separate "outtakes story" when there are significantly enough. ;P At the moment, they would only fill about two pages._**

 ** _So._**

 ** _There are quite a few questions here. What or_ who _broke the old mic?_** (it was noelle.) **_For that matter, what happened to the old computer?_** ** _Why can't Ralsie remember how old he is and what makes him think he's a prince in the first place? When will Susie snap and tell Noelle exactly what she thinks of this situation and her? What does Comet think of Susie and Ralsie? What is Kris doing? What is on that coded file? ... And what could our Odd Bird have to tell us next time? All questions for the DELTA RUNE, for now. We'll just have to wait and see._**

 ** _And now for the review THAT I HAVEN'T ADDRESSED FOR HALF A YEAR... ;u;_**


	14. P13: De-feathered - First Half

... ... ...

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

-not gonna be that bad.

=Dude. Like, I came here to look at a file! I didn't sign up for.. V-voice acting?=

Oh my **god** , for the last time... **_It's not voice acting!_** I'm putting together an audio book of our past struggles concerning the **Dark World**.

=Yeah? W-well, doesn't make a difference! I don't wanna to be a part of this! I want **no** part in you guys humiliating yourselves!=

(Berdly, It's not that bad. Really! I've already done it several times and honestly...? I've... kind of found it to be stress relieving... After the mic goes off.)

=That's because you're constantly waiting for it to be over!=

(... Berdly, I haven't been like that for a long time, now.)

=... Has anything been said about me?=

(... Well, I had to tell my parts. The first time I ended up there-)

=J- y-yeah, I know! No need to remind me... So... whoever hears this will know how much of a jerk I was...?=

(...I-I'm sorry. I should have-)

=No... No, It's fine. I mean it still kinda sucks that whenever this gets out- or if you're releasing these in parts that everyone will know that even before I was ever here to know it. But hey. I was pretty much... like... Well, I already said it...=

(... Well, anyways... Changing the subject, can you take a look at that file?)

=Hm? ... Oh! Yeah, sure. Could ya get up, ja- **-SKRTCH!-**

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

... ... ...

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

=-doesn't really make seNse, to be honest, but I'll try to keep that in mi-... Why are you turning that back on?=

Just humor me. It's for the audio book. I want **THEM** to know as much as us.

=... Ooooh, I get it. That's actually pretty neat. It's like one of those stories that's been talking in past tense the entire time, but then the next story contin-=

Hate to burst your bubble, but I can't see that happening. Obviously, everything already got resolved.

=Huh...? Oh. Yeah. Right. Duh. Anyways, lemme at it.=

 **-Crnk!-** _-Thmp, thomp!-_

 **-Hnrk-**

Aaalrighty. Let's see what we have here. Docs, right?

/Right.\

 _-Click-_ ... _-Clicky-click-_

A .TXT with a funky title. Tch! What is this, a _creepypasta~_?

/If it is, it's a real one. I don't know where it came from.\

 _-Click- -click!- -Clicky-click!-_

Hmm... Base 64. Fairly simple. Seriously guys? You couldn't have just popped this into a base 64 translator? That's **3rd grader** stuff.

/... I have no idea what that is.\

(And I-I'm not that knowledgeable about all this stuff. I-I barely get on the internet as is, bar my instant messengers.)

Sheesh. _-click!-_ Note to self. _-click!-_ Never let either of you use my laptop.

 _-tappa tappa tap ta-tap tap tappa clack!- ... -click-_

I hope you're both taking notes. _-click!-_ This is really that easy! _-Click-ick!-_ And with that, you now ha-... ... ... Uhh...

/That's...\

(A lot of zeroes and ones...)

Yeah. I have eyes. I can see that.

/Well, I know that we still know less than we should about what we're looking at.\

Yeah, yeah! I'll handle it. _-click!-_ Sheesh! _-click!-_ All we need is another translator. Binary this time.

(A-and if this just turns out to be a-a.. code within another code...?)

 _-Click!-_ Isn't it obvious? _-click! click-ick!- -Tappa tappity tap-ap tap tappa tap!-_ We keep clacking away at it till we get what we're looking for! _-click!-_ There's no code I don't know- no trick I can't trick when it comes to computers. _-click!- -click-ick!_ \- I mean, that IS my thing. ... Mmmh... The person who made this mess was good. Real patient, too. It's another code. MIME... That's a tough one. I'd need to import this stuff to my laptop. There isn't a reliable translator for this format. I'll have to do it manually... I'mma just send this to my email. **-Snrk!-** Irony. It's an email-based format. ... Anyways. _-Clicky-click!-_

/... Hey.\

Hm? _-Click!-_

/I know you really don't want to do this, but the thing is that none of us exactly knows the full story like you do, Berd.\

... _-Clicky-click- -Tappa tap tappity tap tack!-_

(... We know your thoughts about doing this sort of thing, but... _Please?_ It's just the once...)

 _-Click-ick!_ \- ... ... ... Is it really that important... people, like... know... about the part you want me to talk about...?

/It's not a life or death matter, but it's still important to include. Things won't make sense much later on if they don't know this.\

... _-R-r-rnk!-_ Fine... I'll frickin' do it. _-Squeak~!-_ **But!** You have to re-watch **ALL** of Mew Mew 2! **Both of you! _This week!_**

(H-huh?! Wh-why **_me?!_** )

Because you helped them convince me with those dumb puppy eyes of your's! That's evil _enough_ to be punished!

(... B-but... I don't even watch anime~...!)

Well, _**Kris~?**_ Ya gonna make a deal with me or can I-

/Deal.\

Hah! I **knew** -w- _ **w-wwwhat...?**_

/I said, " **deal.** " Ya want me to rip that show apart in real time? I'm game.\

 **Hey.** Look, you just haven't analyzed it well enough to appreciate the darker tone.

/I shouldn't need to analyze.\

You _shouldn't_ , but obviously you need my glasses more than **I** do.

/Oh, **come on** , man! The show started out _**NOTHING**_ like that! And they kill off Ferdinand out of **nowhere**! _**NOWHERE!** _He's been the love interest throughout the original Mew Mew from the _ **beginning!**_ \

Your husbando's casanova **_trash!_** I _**REVEL**_ in your anguish!

(C-can't I just sit this out?)

 _-Both Kris and Berdly shout,-_ NO! (Eep!)

/You know what? Just so I can make a point, I'll binge **both** Mew Mew 1 **_AND_** Mew Mew 2 with you! Let's see if you've even **WATCHED** the first series, **_bird boy!_** \

 _ **HONK~!**_ So original! Alright, _**Fruit troop~!**_ I can deal on that! I never said I **DISLIKED** Mew Mew 1, so I'll let you ride that train into station Mew2!

(Okay. This is just getting weird, now. C-can we just settle down...?)

... Fine, ya buncha honkers... I'll do it... But like.. I'm not gonna like it...

/ _-cough-_ ... Thanks, man. Seriously.\

(I-it won't be that bad~.)

Stuttering does **NOT** help my nerves right now, Noelle.

(Sorry...)

 _-Sigh-_ ... Okay... Now, I know all of you guys that are listening to this in the future are judging me without me even starting... That's fine. I was out of line. Nothing gave me the right to go slapping Noelle like that... And yes. I am sorry... Very... **_very_** sorry... I have no excuse...

... So, I've been told to talk about the time after Susie and K-Kris went into the big, black hole in the ground that opened up in the woods... There isn't a lot noteworthy I can tell, but I'll try to put in everything I can think of... that isn't super.. like, _meh_. 'Kay?

... Problem being, I don't even know what to lead with...

/Start with right after Susie jumped in.\

Uh, Right... Uhm...

Okay, so... what time of day... Mid-Afternoon, I think.

After uhm... After Susie jumped into the hole that led to the Dark World, the first thing that ran through my brain was, {I just watched two kids from my school jump down a hole! And I have no proof this isn't **Suicide!** } ... Well, I didn't. And I think it's pretty safe to bet I was freaking out. I was preening nervous into my wrist and pulling out feathers that were perfectly fine. Those were eventually gonna turn to dust an- you know what? That's not important, right? Moving on!

Regardless of whatever I was feeling, I had no choice but to just trust, pray and hope the two shadiest-to-me kids in school were telling the truth. Scratching my feather fingers- by which I mean my pinions- into my head, I walked away from the hole, not really thinking of where I was walking. I just needed to walk before I ended up standing there and somehow getting sucked into it.

And the entire time I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt **nauseous**. My everything was sweaty, my beak was numb and my eyes were slightly burning. I'm pretty sure my expression in that moment and throughout my trip back was just a wide-eyed, freaking out sort of thing until a certain point.

But after a while, I just started to try deep breathing to calm down, moving my hands to my chest... I guess I was thinking, {Okay, Berd. Chill. the frick. **out.** Kris and Susie both said the same thing. They're gonna find Noelle and get her out. And they _also_ told you not to tell anyone! ... Until tomorrow! Just keep a lid on it. That's not so hard. All you have to do is either shut up or lie... You're good at lying! **Great!** _**Excellent.**_ " ... I stopped in my tracks with bug eyes. _I had started talking out loud half way through that, much to my panic..._ Long story short, I talk out loud to think when I'm nervous...

I basically did a jerky sweep of my surroundings with my eyes to make sure I was alone. And when I thought I was good, I puffed out air in a quick sigh... Taking my glasses off and rubbing my face, I continued to walk and started to think again. {Seriously, Berd. **Chill the hell out! _What's wrong with you?!_** Nothing at all! Just _**losing my brain over this dumb situation**_!} Groaning miserably into my hands, I rubbed at my face and whispered out, "How is this even real...?!" My heart was beating a mile a minute and my head was starting to pound right along with it. And to make matters worse, there was the guilt I felt in the first place for putting Noelle through my crap. (...) So yeah! I was pretty much _everywhere_.

Uncovering my face and putting my glasses back on, I tried to think of just about anything else... But I just ended up thinking about how all this was real. If it isn't obvious... I'm terrible at keeping big honking secrets like this. I can keep the _little guys_ just fine. But **this**...? I was already crying on the inside.

Eventually, I got out of the woods, though. And where did I come out? I literally came out _smacking into the side of the Library._ Don't call it that stupid wrong name! It's not Librarb-... Whatever.

Anyways! Yeah, I met full splat against the side wall of the library, coughing and falling over on my butt like a dumbass. But I quickly picked myself back up so that no one would see me humiliate myself, shifting my eyes all 'round while my cheeks burned. My beak made a flat line while I just turned and walked my butt to the sidewalk. I was... _a mess!_ A literal mess of dumb and disheveled.

And what makes this worse? Well, everyone walking to the library or walking out definitely does. I didn't have breathing room! From little kids, to my age group and adults, there was no escaping them. And since it's a small town, we **all** know each other. Pretty much.

... Well... _Almost_...

The kids running out and greeting freedom mostly said 'Hi' to me and I tried to give my best and most natural smile and wave. But of course, some were little jerks and called me 'nerd' or just scoffed at me, something I just rolled my eyes over.

Jockington- I have no idea why he was even there, he never frickin' reads- passed by and gave me an, "Aye yo, bird boyyy!"

I groaned and avoiding eye contact. "Uh... hey." he and I didn't exactly have good chemestry... Still... He's a cool dude... until he got to be too enthusiastic.

/... I mean, it's on his cap, soo...\

You want me to do this or do ya want me to just leave?

/Aww, come on. You're doing great!\

 _Uhuh..._ Anyways... I just kept walking, but I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm pretty sure, even if I was, I'd _still_ have been blind. But I started off thinking, {Okay, Berdly. You just need to get home, tell mom your stomach is hurting, stay in your room for the rest of the day while playing exivee and keep your beak sh-..."

I groaned loudly and took hold of my beak, pulling at it like I wanted to rip it off! In a harsh whisper, I told myself, " _Shtop thinking outch loud, m-you bird brain...!_ " Pulling my hands from my beak, I sighed, probably looking particularly flustered and frustrated. I wouldn't be surprised if my feathering was a little ruffled. "Okay... Ju-"

" **HELLO, LITTLE BIRD MONSTER!"**

I jumped and put up my arms in a dumb karate' esque position as my eyes bugged up at someone with a loud, exaggerated voice that seemed to just run up out of nowhere!

It was probably the tallest, but not bulkiest (for soon to be obvious reasons) person in town. A **very** tall Skeleton who had a _**HUGE**_ grin on his literally boney face. The funny thing about the guy is that ... you _couldn't_ be scared. He literally had the brightest smile, despite having no lips. Seriously. How does that work? Why do I think that?

The guy was literally **all** bones, not counting what he wore. And when I say he was tall... he was twice my size. And probably taller than most of our doors! If he had any meat on him, this guy would be a shoe-in for a basket ball star.

And here comes what he wore... He wore a backward, blue and white baseball cap over his skull cap, a basket ball(?) on each of his shoulders, a white muscle shirt that I'm almost completely positive was supposed to read " **00** " but he had drawn around the zeroes to make it say "C00L" with "Dude" right below it, all in navy-to-royal blue. He had large, orange, thick and long gloves with gold colored cuffs on his hands. They almost looked like oven mits, to be honest.

He also wore blue shorts over his boney hips and legs with white Air Michaels (the shoes, not the monster who made them famous) over blue, shin length socks.

... My eyes were pretty much still bugged, even after absorbing this guy's uh... everything. I didn't exactly relax my arms, either. I simply asked, in understandable nervousness, "Wh-who the heck are you and _**WHY**_ did you do that?!"

With this weird laugh like- sec. _-clears throat with a cough-_ ... **"NYEH HEH HEH~!"** ... Yeah, that.

(Oh my god. _-Chuckles!-_ )

/ **-snrk!-** _**Thhhah hah hah hah!**_ \

Oh, shut up!

(Mhmh! S-sorry! Sorry...~)

Anyways! Yeah. He made _THAT_ laugh. And then he stood proud with his chest puffed out and a hand over it. " **I AM HAPPY YOU ASKED! I AM KNOWN AS THE GR-R-R-REAT PAPYRUS! WHERE I COME FROM, ANYWAY!** " Relaxing his posture and leaning down on me, he then told me, " **I RAN UP TO YOU BECAUSE I OVERHEARD WITH MY AMAZING HEARING ABILITIES THAT YOU ARE DISTRESSED!** "

His volume was _WAY_ too loud and I didn't appreciate having my business aired like that. In fact, I pretty much felt myself shaking and sweating the longer he talked. It was my **LITERAL** nightmare! **Everyone** was staring!

Cheeks burning and eyes practically watering, I jerked my 'hand wings' forward and _literally_ stopped his dumb jaws from moving, shutting them while I glared at him nervously. " **Could you, like, _NOT?!_** " Pulling him closer by the head while I squinted at him through irritation, I then told him in a harsh whisper, " _I have enough problems without a **loud mouth** skeleton telling the whole town I'm **"distressed!"** Can you **PLEASE** shut up!? I just want to go home without everyone talking to me!_"

That said, I looked around and curved my beak with a smile through a nervous furrow. "Seriously, folks~! Nothing to see here~! I have never met this guy in my life." My last comment made the skeleton raise a brow- which at the time I didn't know he had, even if they were just his eye sockets reshaping themselves to elicit the effect.

Taking my feather fingers off the weirdo's face, I was going top say something, but in a quieter, yet still overall loudish tone, he said, " **WELL, OF COURSE YOU DON'T KNOW ME. ME AND SANS HA** -"

Putting my hand back over the guy's mouth to muffle him out while I gave him a twitching glare and crooked expression on my beak, I told him, "Seriously. **_Stop_**. The last thing I need right now is a weirdo making me, like, the hot topic of the town."

After taking my feathers off his mouth again, he once again lowered his volume, though still remained confused, "Why wouldn't you want to be the hottest topic?"

... Slapping my face with my pineons, I groaned and just bypassed the dude, trying to get away from him. Sadly, _life's not that easy_ and he just ended up straightening up and following me. To my **annoyance.** I almost forgot all about my current worries in light of his _irritating presence._

And yet, he kept talking to me, even though it was obvious I wanted nothing to do with him. "BIRD PERSON- IF I MAY CALL YOU TH-"

"Firstly, Berdly. Secondly, _SHUT UP AND GO. AWAY._ " I groaned and attempted to quicken the pace to get away, but he just quickened his right along with me.

"BERDLY. IT OCCURS TO ME THAT MY POOR MANNERS HAVE MADE THINGS WORSE FOR YOU."

I rolled my eyes and grit my beak. " _Gee. That long to figure it out?_ "

"I, THE GR-R-R-REAT PAPYRUS, AM PROFOUNDLY, TERRIBLY, EXTREMELY SORRY FOR CAUSING YOU DISCOMFORT. YOU SEE, I WAS ONLY TRYING TO HELP LIFT YOUR MOOD, BUT I MISJUDGED MY APPROACH METHOD."

"I don't care. _Leave me alone_. **I don't know you**."

"I AM AWARE OF THAT. BUT FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, I LOOKS TO ME LIKE YOU NEED TO VENT."

... I stopped, my irritation smoldering, but my patience thinning.

"CAN I HELP YOU WITH THAT AT ALL, BERDLY? YOU REALLY DO NOT SEEM VERY HAPPY AND I WOULD LIKE TO ASSIST YOU, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE INDEED JUST MET."

... I turned around and stared up at him with squinted eyes and balled fists. "Dude. Like, the last thing I want from you is help. And even if I wanted to rant, I can't. You don't have any business asking in the first place. _Whatever's_ bugging me doesn't have anything to do with you besides, like, what you are doing right now. _**Bugging**_ me."

Papyrus made a blink through a furrowed pair of eye sockets, then went to say something, but in the process was cut off when a rough famale's voice said, "Alright, that's enough." His eyes blinked wide and he turned his head. I did to, recognizing the voice.

Of course, it was Chief of Police Undyne. So i-

/Uh. They don't know who Undyne is, yet.\

... Oh... Uh... Well, she's a tall fish woman. She's got indigo scales, no nose or nose hole, red eye liner, red hair tied back in a long, flowing ponytail, red webbed fins that serve as ears and some _GNARLY_ yellow teeth like a shark might. She's also got gills on her neck and is oddly built like a knight or a model, maybe. Lithe, but muscular.

... It feels wrong going into anymore detail as far as, like, body goes, so I'll just say everything else.

She wore the normal dark-blue officer's uniform with all the pockets and the golden **DELTA RUNE** inspired badge, the cop cap and black cloppers... by which I mean leather shoes.

She also wore a black belt decorated by all the stuff she had equipped. A Tazer, a baton, walkie talkie, some other stuff, too. Of course, she didn't need ANY of this stuff, really. Her magic was some of the strongest in town with those spears of her's. Buuut uh... That stuff's for more deadly force. The tazer and baton were more for, like, taking people down without messing them up too bad.

... Anyways, Undyne was standing there beside us, right on side of the road and looking like she was almost **excited** to have something to do. But she wasn't smiling or anything. I could just tell by the way she already had her baton out and in a hand. Don't get me wrong, like... Undyne's not a _thug_. But she always talks about how there ain't enough _action_ in Hometown.

Papyrus seemed to smile, not exactly intimidated nor concerned as he waved and told her, "GREETINGS, CHIEF UNDYNE! IT'S NICE TO FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO YOU! YOU'RE MUCH COOLER IN PERSON!"

The compliment made the fish woman's eyes bug a bit, but she quickly shook it off and cleared her throat, regaining her steely gaze. Tapping her baton to her shoulder, she told Papyrus, "Sir, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to stop harassing the kid. He obviously doesn't want you talking to him, so leave him be or I'm gonna have to take you in."

The over-the-top threat made me screw my face a bit. " **Arrest?** " Even if he was annoying, that seemed kind of extreme. After all, as much as I didn't want to admit it, he was just trying and failing to help. I made a furrow and curved my beak with a frown, bunching my shoulders and hissing through my beak. I was starting to feel guilty.

The tall skeleton just smiled and laughed his usual laugh, waving her off. "NO NEED TO WORRY! I WAS MERELY TRYING TO HELP, BUT BERDLY HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY WISH TO BE LEFT ALONE! AND SO, I SHALL!" ... He was utterly naive, but at least he didn't dig himself deeper.

Seeing as they were occupying each other and Papyrus hadn't just made things worse, I used the moment to slink out from the scene and walk myself toward home. Buuut... " _A wise guy, eh?_ That's it! **You're coming with me!** "

My eyes bulged and I could feel myself freeze solid as, like, a brick of ice. Inwardly, I was thinking, { _ **Excuse me?!**_ }

I snapped back around and witnessed Undyne getting the Skeleton's hands behind his back while he only asked, "OH BOY! WHERE ARE WE GOING? AND WHAT ARE THOSE SILVER BRACELETS YOU HAVE THERE?" He was referring to her hand cuffs and I was sweating now! _She was seriously gonna wheel the guy in because she felt like it!_ He wasn't being fresh with her. He was just **stupid!**

Of course I stepped back up to them and waved my hands, saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, **no**! Ms. Undyne, maám! That's totally, like, not needed!"

She stopped shy of hooking the guy with the first cuff and cocked a brow down at me. "Kid, what? This.. dude was just annoying the hell outta you."

"ACTUALLY, I WAS-"

She snapped her eyes back on Papyrus and spat, "Quiet, Punk!"

That finally spooked the skeleton into a wide-eyed silence after one errant "EEP".

You have no idea how intimidating it was to be near Undyne in that moment. She could be cool, but like, she was scary. Moreover, I constantly wonder how she kept her job, especially considering Mrs. Holiday didn't much like her.

That said, despite shaking a bit and sweating, I just stuck it out and said, "Th-the guy's telling the truth, though... L-like... he was r- _really_ just... uhm... m-making sure I was alright... Y-yeah, I don't know ém, but like... U-uh... I-it was **mostly** just me... not... wanting to talk about-..." I stopped, eyes glazing over... Blinking them and clearing my throat, I realized how dang near close I just came to blowing everything to the absolute wrong person. Scratching at the back of my head as the sweat only multiplied by two, I told her, "W-what I mean is that... I just... _**really**_ w-wasn't in the mood to talk...!"

There was a long moment where she just stared at me... Rolling her eyes, she made a rough sigh, eyes staring off to the side. "What a buzzkill..." She took her hands off of the Skeleton's wrists, which Papyrus seemed neither pleased nor disappointed with. Crossing her arms and tapping her baton to a forearm, she told me, "Fine, kid. Whatever. But I'll be watching him." Her head snapped to the skeleton and narrowed on his face. "The next time you get caught harassing someone, punk, **I'm gonna give ya to the slammer! _Got that?!_** _"_

Her tone made me turtle and shiver, but Papyrus was just... sheesh, he was **unphased!** I had to wonder if this guy was a complete _moron_ or if he had just seen so much crap that it just didn't stir him. All he did was bow exaggeratedly and say, "LOUD AND CLEAR, CHIEF UNDYNE! PLEASE, HAVE A GOOD DAY!"

... Undyne shot me a glance at the time that I didn't really chalk up to much, then grumbled about how this town is way too boring.

Like... I have no idea what her issue was. Why would anyone _WANT_ to need to arrest someone? Doesn't there being so little crime mean that she's doing her job well? Or at least that everyone in hometown is just good by nature? Then again, she reminded me of Susie back then, so I guess it only makes sense I don't understand her.

Anyways, I heaved my sigh and wiped my brow as if a blanket of sweat had been pouring down it. Though, to be fair, **it had** , so maybe saying "as if" is moot.

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE, BERDLY!" I turned my head back to Papyrus and "huh?"'d at him. He stood tall and proud as he told me, "YOU REALLY DIDN'T NEED TO, BUT THAT WAS VERY KIND OF YOU! AS WE POPULAR AND COOL PEOPLE LIKE TO SAY, I OWE YOU ONE!"

With furrowed brows and a jagged grin on my nervous face, I shrugged and took a few steps back. "Y...you're welcome, I guess? But like..." Frowning at him and cocking my brow as I let out a deflating sigh and sagged my shoulders, I asked, "Like, can I just... go home now? I really just want to plow into my bed and go to sleep. I'm already thinking about a lot of crazy stuff without thinking, like," I put up my hands and bugged my eyes to make a dumb version of the thought, " _Gee! This new guy's **real** frickin' weird! He almost got arrested like, **the second he got here**!_" ... Relaxing myself, I shrugged. "Seriously... I just want to go home and not accidentally say something I'll regret."

Making a comparatively more... thoughtful(?) expression, he pointed out, "MY BROTHER AND I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR FOUR DAYS, ACTUALLY." That said, he relaxed(?) his expression and told me, "UNDERSTANDABLE, THOUGH. I AM A TOTALLY STRANGE NEW COOL GUY YOU HAVE NEVER MET BEFORE. THUS-"

"Yeah, exactly," I cut in, before I started to walk away, saying, "I'm gonna head home now. Don't.. follow me."

Before I got too far away, he shouted, " **IT WILL TURN OUT OKAY!** "

... I stopped and stared at him, eyes wide... "... H-huh?"

He smiled and said it again, among other things. "YOU HAVE THE LOOK OF SOMEONE WHO'S GOING THROUGH A DIFFICULT TIME. MAYBE YOU HAD A SPAT WITH A FRIEND. MAYBE YOU'VE HAD A LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE. OR MAYBE YOU REALIZED THINGS ARE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE. REGARDLESS, IT WILL TURN OUT OKAY. YOU WILL FIGURE THINGS OUT."

... I was almost inconceivable that he pretty much just named every problem I was dealing with. It would have been dumb luck to get one, lottery luck to get two, but cheater's luck was all three... So I figured, he somehow knew exactly what I was going through. And even though I knew the guy's name, I still ended up turning around and asking, "Who _are_ you...?"

He just grinned wide and laughed like he did every time, hand on his chest. "I ALREADY TOLD YOU! **I AM THE GR-R-R-REAT PAPYRUS!** " Waving goodbye to me, he more naturally told me, " **LET US MEET AGAIN SOMETIME SOON AND BECOME _BETTER_ FRIENDS, MY GOOD BIRD~!**" And then, he went jogging off, sounding off with his famous cackle one last time...

... I blinked and cocked my brow. "What kind of _weirdo_...?" Shaking my head, I decided to just keep walking. Like, me questioning _anything_ about that guy was bound to be a waste of effort. Even to this day, that guy still weird's me out on just how good he is at reading people. He doesn't have mind reading powers, I don't think.

/It usually has to do with emotional quirks.\

I know about THAT! I'm just saying that the guy pulled **a lot** out of a small portion of time.

/Well, judging by how you tell it, those were more lucky guesses.\

And I just said that he gets a LOT of lucky guesses. Like, just trust me. That guy's hiding something.

/Fair enough.\

Right well... ... ... Crap, I was talking and forgot. What part was I at?

(... Y-you were walking away from the end of your meeting Papyrus?)

Oh yeah! Right. Sorry...

A-anyways, yeah. I was walking away, back to my home. You pass the diner and the 'Sans Store on the way there. If you're going down the road beside Cattie's house, you're going too far. We live in the house right beside Noelle and her folks' gate and right in front of Ms. Cattie's place. It's one of the homes that just blends into the background.

I mean, it's three of a kind, so... it's pretty standard. A red brick house with a white door and several windows. Black shingle roof, red brick chimney. We don't have much of a yard, but we've got trees. At that time of year, they were in their autumn cycle, so golden leaves all around. Actually, Mom was raking them up into a huge pile in the front.

(Oh yes! How _has_ Ms. Fitzerd been?)

... Uuuh, well can I say that without spoiling anything or should I turn this off?

/I can't see a problem with talking about her. Go ahead.\

Alright then, well like... She's been alright. Her busted leg healed up completely last week, like you know. Teddy's been helping her with the big stuff, but she's insistent. You know her. One track mind, never listens to like... _any_ doctor's advice. Just takes the meds.

(... Also... sssorry about the divorce...)

... Hey. I saw the writing on the wall. Joseph had it coming. I told him to lay off and cool his head, but the asshat didn't listen. So, I'm disappointed, but hasn't this been almost two years in the making?

/A-ah-\

Oh, don't you worry your head off. I'm not about to spoil that... Hell. Now that I bring it up, I don't want anyone but **me** telling. Got that?

/... Fair enough. Though, maybe be careful? That's basically a hint. And we aren't even done with _this_ part of the story. We have like 15 chapters left... I think. Not sure, don't quote me. Especially not **you** guys!\

Eh, they're pointing to the microphone, so I guess that they're talking to you. The one listening. Yes, I know. Confusing.

But hey. I'm telling the story and we are not half way done, here.

(Sorry~. Ehehee...)

Eh he heeeehh... Anyways.

I'm sure you weirdos wanna know what my mom looks like and since you can't see picture.. gimme a sec...

... Okay... Uhm... My mom's real name is Candace. _I_ never call her that, but anyways. She's like me. A blue bird monster. Call us Jays if you want. She's taller than me, but not as friggin' tall as Mrs. Toriel by **any** measure. If-

/ **Ms.** ... _Remember~._ \

... _**MS.**_ Toriel. **Whatever.** If me and my mom stood side by side back then, she'd be two heads up on me. But just as slim. I don't know if that's changed too much. I haven't bothered paying attention... Regardless, she's always been a "do it yourself". And that drives Joseph up the wall. By which I mean my _dad_. Yes. Point is that she's tough, but not very muscular. We bird monsters aren't built like that. She's strong, but like most of us, frail. Glass cannon would fit well. So like, she's great at getting things done. Better than me, anyways.

I _definitely_ got my metabolism from her. She's got a more complex feather pattern than I do, though. Her main five head feathers grew in around the back and are longer than any of mine, but the added weight makes them hang down over the back of her head and down her back like hair. The outermost two are white. She's got white lash lines under her eyes. My mom's beak is shorter and more curved than mine. She also has sharper eyes colored gold. Her wing arms have white feather pinions with black tips. Her shoulders are black, cutting into her usual blue in a perfect "V"...

... ... ... She has a curvier frame than mine, but if I have to say anything further than that, **I might puke**. I guess she's got stronger legs than me, but.. like, she's a girl. You kinda expect it, even in **bird** monsters. They're still bird legs, though. Like, _Don't get weird ideas._ We aren't **harpy** monsters.

At home, you'll usually, like, catch her wearing a tank top and short jeans. She's not shy. That day, she was wearing a black top and short KHAKIS. She always wears her Engagement and Wedding Bands around her neck on a Necklace.

... Enough about how she looks.

With a rake still in her hand and a smile curling her beak slightly, she saw me walking into the yard and instantly smiled wider. "Birdly!" Her voice is a lower midrange. Not your typical motherly tone. And she isn't one to soften her tone. At the same time, she won't strain. "Easy." That word describes her tone well enough, I guess. She's got a kind of slight accent. It comes with her being a non-native. I don't have an accent, because I never liked them. So, I did my best to keep one from developing ever.

I was almost staring at the ground, so I shuddered a little and snapped my head up, eyes wide as she came jogging up to me after dropping her rake on the pile... Aaand she hugged me.. 'Course I .. hugged her back. I mean, it's just my mom... For some reason, that's uh... _awkward to admit_.

(Hey. At least you know she _**definitely**_ loves you~. - _Giggling_ -)

Wha-?! Noelle, j-... _**H-how many times are you gonna interrupt me?!**_

(- _Still giggling_ \- _Sorry~!_ )

Ugh... Whatever, yeah. She's a great mom. W-what can I say?

Anyways, after the brief hug, we separated and I gave ourselves space, my looking up at her while she smiled and asked with a cocked brow and her feather hands in her pant pockets, "So? How was my little man's day?"

I went to answer, but my words caught in my throat... I rubbed a feather to my beak and thought about what to say a bit more, which confused her. Usually, I was pretty quick to answer that question. But that day... well, it's no surprise I was a bit at a loss.

She lost her smile after a moment and just stared. " _Oh boy~_. The pause. Did something happen?"

I folded my arms and groaned. Quickly turning my eyes back up to her, the answer I went with was, "H-hey. Not _EVERY_ time I don't, like, immediately say something does it mean something happened..."

..., She smirked and cocked her brow again, tilting her head. "But that stutter tells me something **did** happen this time, didn't it?" I frowned and looked away, but I must have looked worried. She asked again. "Time to let it out, Berdly~. _What happened?_ "

... I had to lie. The only way she'd have believed me is if I brought her to that hole and that was way too dangerous. And she might tell the rest of the town before Kris and Susie even find Noelle. That would only be bad.

And so, I looked her in the eye and said what was partially true. "Me and Noelle... We had a fight."

That got a concerned grimace out of her. "Oh crap. Bad?"

I nodded. There couldn't be any harm in that. " **Bad**. It... kind of... came to blows."

And the first thought caught her gasping. " **She _HIT_ you?!**"

Through my wide eyed panic, I gawked up at her and shook my head. "What- **no!** I-..."

... She furrowed her brows and frowned. "You hit _**HER**_..."

... Shutting my eyes, I nodded through my own before my hand found my upper face. "Y...yes..."

I could hear her click her beak like someone might click their teeth. "Well... That there's a pickle... You gotta regret it, though. You look like it's really rubbing you the wrong way..."

I took my hand off my face and nodded... I know I should have been more broken upon about it, but I guess I was emotionally drained. I just said, "I'm gonna apologize the first chance I get, tomorrow..." ... Turning my head away, I muttered, " **IF**... I get that chance... I won't be surprised if she doesn't want to see me at all after today..."

"Oh, come on, little man." I turned my attention back up at her and she smiled a little. It was a mom smile... "She's a good kid. I know her mom's a bit stuck on herself, but Noelle's as reverse on her mother as a kid can get." She took my shoulder in hand and gave me a light shake. "Seriously, hun. If you feel this bad, she'll see it. Ya' got a chance and I wouldn't go blowin' it by not even trying."

... It was incredibly obvious. But, hearing the logic spelled out like that made me relax a little and nod. "Thanks, Mom."

She smiled a little more, then flicked her eyes over to my shoulder, before her smile was blinked away. "Uh. Hey. Backpack? Where is it?

I almost froze while my face burned. I nearly owl turned my head while my wings rose at my sides to feel at my back. Bare. "Crap!" My head snapped back to look at her, my eyes still bugged. "I forgot it in class!"

Folding her arms, she started to tap her talon and cocked her brow. "Well, I hope you don't need it tonight. No homework due tomorrow thatcha can't do because you left it?"

Shaking my head while I cocked my brow, I told her, " _No_ , thank god. But even if I _wanted_ to get in, the ones with the keys aren't e-" My beak froze shut and my eyes bugged for a moment...

My mom caught it, like I knew she would. Like I said, she's sharp. You get perceptive from having to detect lies from your family... Yeah, not too proud of that, thinking about it. Ehehee~... Tilting her head in a suspicious way, she asked, "The ONES with the keys...? **Toriel** is the gal that keeps the school keys. What are you talking about?"

If my beak could be sucked in like lips, it would have been in that moment. I had to think of something quick or she'd think anything else was a lie. Irony would have it that I lived with the very person who's a lie detector. I cocked a brow with a fake flatness to my expression, _probably_ looking like a nervous and sweaty mess, and shook my head. "Tha-that's what I meant! What did you think I meant, that someone else had the keys? _Nooo~!_ "

She squinted slightly and expectantly down at me with the expression of a person who knew better.

I just swallowed softly and huffed through a furrowed expression. " **S-seriously?** I-I just wanna go to my room. Play a game... and... "

Trying to leave got me my mom stepping in my way. I tried to juke her, but she just took me by the shoulder and stood me in front of her. " **Berdly.** " I forced myself to stare up at her, frowning. She had the same expression as before. "What's going on? Who has the keys to the school? Why are you so nervous about saying?"

I slowly turned my head away. I could feel my cheeks burning and my sweat flowing free. "I-I... I don-n't know!"

She gave me a glare while her hands clenched along her fore-wing. "Boy, you **know** that's bull!" And I couldn't help wincing.

All I could do afterwards was frown and shake my head. "B-but I don't! I don't know!"

Growling and narrowing her gaze down upon me, she hit me with an ultimatum. "Berdly... If you don't tell me the truth in **five seconds** , I'm taking that damned PC ya love so much and chucking it in the attic and you **WON'T** be getting it back 'till I _**FEEL** _like giving it to ya. Now I know you know, so who's got the key? And why are you so afraid to tell me?!"

I clenched up my fist at the sounds of that. My PC was full of my life's work! Being away from it for too long without the option was pure anxiety. ... But this was different... I couldn't just give up. Kris and Susie needed me to keep this a secret, however that was possible...

" **1!** "

I felt a pang of panic as she started to count, ducking my head and shutting my eyes tight.

" **2!** "

My feathers felt like they were all trying to flake off, starting to stand up like they were.

" _ **3!**_ "

Turtling up further, my beak came open and I thoughtlessly blurted out, " _ **I CAN'T!**_ "

... There was silence as I opened my eyes and stared up with a frown. My mom looked beside herself with confusion... Tightening her eyes down on me and cocking her brow, she asked, "Why won't you tell me, boy? **What** are you keeping from me...?"

There was a moment where I really did consider telling her... it was just my mom, right...? But no. I couldn't... I just huffed and looked at the ground. "I-I can't... because... I m-made a deal... I'll tell you tomorrow morning first thing, but I-I can't say a thing tonight... Okay?"

Volunteering that much at least made her consider, but my mom does _not_ like knowing something. She groaned and blinked at me wearily while thinking... Then came a sigh as she shook her head and a wing's pinions came to grasp her face. Once removed, she stared at me while I met her gaze. "Not a day more. And if you lie to me- if I find out you've lied to me, I'm grounding you from the computer for a month."

Knowing the odds, I took that bet. Not so make this sound like a poker game. I nodded and sighed through my nose holes. "Deal..." Furrowing my brows, I smiled nervously. "C-can I go inside, now?"

After a brief shake of the head, she shrugged and told me, "Just don't forget. I need a few things at the 'Sans store. Can't make my famous Spaghet without noodles~."

I sighed more lengthily while trudging by her toward the house. "Got it~..."

"You know you love it~!" I did, but like... I was really not hungry all of the sudden. Actually, I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom.

/)Ew~.(\

Oh _ **-PB-B-B-T!-**_ _Whatever!_

...

After I got inside and did whatever I needed to in order to not need to leave my room for a few hours, that's exactly where I found myself. I played around on Exivee for a few hours and tried to do some of the Insane Difficulty raids with a few of my buddies. Fefnir was, like, a non-ironic monster and it took us thirty minutes to down THAT demon. Mostly because Learoid and Everit didn't stick to their pairs and kept getting blown off the stage. So-

/Uuuh...\

 _What?_

(I-I'm pretty sure this is... I don't know... **irrelevant**...?)

... ... ... Whatever~. I was trying to at least tell them what took me three hours before I left the house again... Uh. Hey. Can I go get some water? My throat's drying out...

/Sure. Just turn the mic off. I hate editing as is.\

Oh. Uh. Sure.

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

...

* * *

=) I'm not gone.

 _Holy cow! It felt like I would NEVER get this thing done! And by the way, this isn't the part that sucked... This is the SHORT part. The part was so bloated that it nearly made the un-split chapter reach 20,000 is up ahead... Okay, it actually got that big._

 _I didn't PLAN for this to take so long, but there were a few money scares waiting in the wings for me at the second half of the year. But let's not get into that._

 _I'll leave my thoughts in full for the next part, but don't expect it QUITE yet. it still needs finalization and such._

 _As always, please! Tell me what you guys thought of this! Fave, Review and Follow if you liked what you were reading! Reviews especially are like fuel to me, be they critical, speculation, like or dislike. I'm always striving to better my skills, after all. And I would HATE to stray too far from continuity..._

 _Well! Have a pleasant evening!_


	15. P14: De-feathered - Second Half

...

 _ **-CLICK!-**_

Okay... I guess I just start where I left off. No need to recap. They can listen to the last part if they need to.

/Right. Besides, if they get confused now, then chances are, they were nodding off. And I REALLY would like to hope that isn't because you kept getting distracted by us, Eheh...\

Right...

Well, three hours of doing Insane raids for armors and weapons later, I had been given fourty dollars to go and get spaghetti noodles from the 'Sans store. Why so much? In case I thought of anything else. He doesn't just sell Spagetti noodles.

When I was opening up the door to leave, Mom yelled out from inside, "And don't accidentally get that Angel Hair crap! It falls apart like **nothin'**!"

I made a bored narrow and rolled my eyes as I sunk my head or whatever. "I know, Ma'~! Going now~!"

"Two packs~!" That was the last thing she could tell me before I pushed the door closed and went on my _less-than-merry_ way.

Of all the crap I could be doing, going back outside and walking to 'Sans wasn't what I wanted to be. Like I said, I was really hoping to kinda just stay the day away in my house. The only reason I, like, did it in the first place is because mom's Spaghet's just that good. If it were her Quiche A'la clae, I would have passed in a heartbeat. But that's neither here, nor there... I just wanted to get this over with like pulling a splinter out of my talon...

Half way there, however, just before I got to the corner of QC's Diner... **she** came out of the woodworks- by which I mean between the diner and the trees... Undyne... She looked at me directly, a suspicious glare in her eyes and arms folded... And when I saw that, it felt like my feathers ruffled and every pour on me started to sweat...

... I froze in my tracks, but that didn't really matter. She closed the gap with a few paces of her feet, regardless. And there she stood before me. Not too close, but close enough to make me, like, want to bolt... Tightening her gaze on me, she started tapping her boot to the sidewalk. My heart was hammering and she hadn't even said anything yet... "Alright. Spill it, punk."

My first reaction was to rub the back of my neck and look away, beak clamping unnaturally tight. I had to MAKE it open just to talk. "I-I... wha...?"

Her brow tightened while she told me, "You reek like a guy trying to hide something. And the way you acted before with the weird-o bonehead? Nah. I don't buy you're not up to something weird..."

I furrowed my brow and tried to talk again, "B-but I'm ju-"

"You're part of some drug trafficking ring! Aren'tcha, Punk?!"

My beak let out a puff while my eyes just sorta bugged... Like... Drugs... Was she serious? The whole town was clean other than a few smokers and drinkers. Regardless, I squinted at her and shook my head. "Wait, what? Like... Why would you think I have any-"

She grinned and cut in with, "I'mma have to body check ya!"

Again, my eyes bugged, "W-wait, WHAT?!" And then I backed up on instinct when she tried to come forward on me. "Ch-Chief Undyne, all I have on me is my clothes, my glasses and-" I quickly dug my pinions into my jacket pockets and pulled the pockets themselves inside out while keeping a grip on my forty buck. "-a-and money for pasta from 'Sans!"

Apparently, that got gears turning in her head, because she folded her arms and hummed down at me with raised brow and overall inquisitive expression. I dunno. "'Sans Store, huh? The new guy's place of business... Another bonehead." She narrowed her gaze again and hunched forward as she quick stepped over to me, much to my surprise and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "So, the drug ring's operated by the new shifts in town, huh? Is that it?! And they hooked you along against your will?!"

My beak curved in a frown. Squinting through my stress and sweat, I shook my head even harder. "N-no! The skeletons did nothing wr-wrong!" Slumping my shoulders and whining through my "hand" coming to slap over my face, I went on to say, "I'm really just trying to get some dumb pasta from their place, 'cause my mom's making her spaghet and that's it...!" Wing falling from my face, huffed and finished through my stressed furrow, "And that thing with Papcyrus or whatever was just a coincidence. I literally just met the guy. Even you know it! I may know his bro, but that was our first interaction..."

And then she made the bored-est glare through a barely masked slouch in her shoulder as she told me, "Listen, kid. I'm not stupid. I know you ain't done nothing wrong. And that's the problem. I signed up **for** problems and this town ain't had more than a handful. So, I'm actually just trying to give myself somethin' to pass the time with. A'right? So, no matter what you say, I'm tailing you to 'Sans. Besides, he still owes me land permits and bar/house ownership certs. That's more than enough for an official inquiry."

There was a moment where I just stared at her, any tension in the air turned to... I don't even know what... I thought she had actually caught on, but she hadn't. With a squint, I bunched my cheeks around my beak. "I mean... fair enough? But- and no disrespect intended- _**why**_ would a police officer look for trouble? I thought you guys worked towards having none, anyway..."

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms, looking away and trying to seem aloof despite having a clearly narrowed brow creasing her forehead. "Because where I come from, trouble was everywhere. Comparing Edsberry to Hometown is like comparing a stained apron to a ball gown. I had TOO much to do, not the other way around..." Redirecting her eyes down on me, she leaned in and smirked. The close proximity made me sweat, eyes wide and beak wanted to drop off my face... ... ... What? It's a figure of speech! "Now, I think we BOTH know I ain't taking no. I'm comin' with ya. Got a problem with that, punk?"

I nodded, because it was the truth. "Y-yeah...?"

She then slung her arm around my neck in a "friendly" neck lock With a big, almost threatening grin on her face! It was crushingly strong and I could barely breath, eyes bugged and hands trying to pry the arm off! "Hah! That's the spirit, twerp! I knew you'd come around to the idea!"

Still not able to breathe properly, I made a nervous, struggling grin, sweat POURING down my face. If I could look paler, I probably did in that moment. "Ck! I-I-... Y-eah~! ... Ne-eck..? Breath...!"

Her grin died while she blinked in confusion. "Breath...?" ... Oh'ing, she took her arm off my wind pipe, me nearly falling to the sidewalk when she did, coughing and sputting on my hands and knees. And, like, you two wear those grins... But UNDYNE IS MEGA STRONG, OKAY?! I'm lucky to be alive!

(Ehee! U-uhm... Sorry~?)

/I'm sure I should be -snrk!- ... but I'm kinda not~.\

... I'm adding th to the deal.

/Ah- what?! But those su-!\

EEEEXACTLY! Now, do you wanna let me tell the rest? I'm pretty close to the part that matters. It's right after this next one...

(I-I'm still along for this... a-aren't I...? ... ... ... Kris, pl-lease stop antagonizing him~...?)

/-Sigh- Fine... Sorry I roped you into this.\

I'm getting back to my narration, now.

... Well, Undyne picked me back up with little warning and placed me back on my talons, then grinned a bit... less(?) deranged...? Then gave me a "friendly" slap on the back and nearly sent me right back over with a stumble. I caught myself, don't worry. "Well? I'm followin' YOU, punk! Get a move on!"

Grumbling back at her with a less-than-hidden leer. I just turned around and started walking, stuffing my pinions into my coat pockets. For me, this was probably a close second to the worst day of my life. And the sun wasn't setting quite yet. The skies still had a bright orange flare about them.

...

It didn't take more than a few minutes to get to the front of 'Sans's. There weren't many- if any- customers shopping this late. Probably because most people were usually done by now.

You detail people probably want to know what the place looks like... Uhm... Well, it's different. That much is true. Reddish-brown bricks made up the body with cement holding them together. Off-white wooden planks made up the frame work. The building was large... for a bar. But it was not quite large enough to be considered a convenience store. It did have a large, roofed, four-paneled window that could have been a display window... Buuut it wasn't. It was just a window for looking inside. But we'll get to the inside in a sec. ... Oh right, and there were three mounted lights beneath the window, but I guess that's not important.

Short cement steps led up to the front door to the place, which was dark mahogany with a golden doorknob, a little black roof above it and a mounted lamp light on the far side of it. And above both the window and the door was the weird warm-black sign for the store. It was all sorts of cloudy, artistic scribbles the whole way across until it got to the part just over the door. That's where it read "'Sans". To me, that tildy right before the name always made it seem like the sign had previously said something else, but Sans- the Owner, not the store- always just gave the same answer. "Nah~. I just wanted to be different. But not TOO different. That's too much effort for a sign." ... The roof of the whole structure was flat and black, the moldings right under it rigid and off-white.

A-... ... ... You know, it's funny. Now that I really try and thing about the place, The front side and interior are all I can remember. I'm not entirely sure what the sides and back look like...

(They were plain... is.. probably why. Neither the sides nor the back had a window to their name. The back DID have a door leading out to a shed, though.)

... Is that really all there was? ... Kris?

/Uuh... Don't ask me? I tried to not go there as much as I possibly could. Sans and I used to not get along very well after the whole "prank call" thing.\

Oh yeah... Wait! He got you with that, too?!

(Berdly~.)

Wha- Oh. Right. Sorry.

A-anyways, I walked up to the door, turning my head to look at Chief Undyne with a dull expression. "Please, don't antagonize Sans. The guy's a bit of a joker, but like, he's a good guy. And brittle. He's got a condition."

Rolling her eyes, she raised her brows down at me and told me, "Fine. Whatever. I won't ruff him up with my fists..." She then smirked and brought her fist into a hand with a nice smack. "I'll just ruff him up with words instead!"

I just stared at her... Our Chief of Police, everyone. You probably guessed why she got transferred here, but I think it was a mistake. I could be wrong, though...

Shaking my head and sighing, I whispered, "This is just my life, right?" And before she could ask what I said, I opened the door to the building and stepped insiide, quickly putting some semblance of joy on my face. "Sup, Sans~!"

The place inside was warmly lit, but like... The interior was naturally darker than average. You coulda sworn you were looking at the inside of a pumpkin with how orange the wooded floor and walls looked. It had about five or six aisles lined with everyday goods and since this wasn't a big store, you could see clear across it to the counter in back. Oh yeah. And this place was actually a bar AND a convenience store. That's the twist. The long, wood, L-shaped counter was lined with several stools in front of it. Several wine and shot bottles lined it's shelves on the back wall. The glasses were (probably) kept beneath the counter, but I don't know. I'm not older enough to drink, so that's just my best guess. There was doorway that led beyond the back wall to another room. That was where the food was cooked. Sans is a surprisingly awesome cook, too.

Speaking of the skeleton, there he was. Standing behind the counter while he wiped a glass out with that perpetual smile stuck on his face and those beady white dots he calls eyes floating in those empty sockets. He wore his usual. A black, unzipped coat with furry, white interior, hood off. Plain, white shirt beneath. Black, white striped short pants with a white tie. And though I couldn't see them, I know he was wearing those dumb pink slippers and white socks over his bone feet.

Putting his glass down, he almost smiled more than usual while he talked- through his teeth apparent, even if it sounded crystal clear. "sup, kid! here for some more spaghetti?"

... And then his eyes blinked while whatever expression I thought he had changed the second he caught sight of Undyne, whom happened to be smirking. "Sup, Bone Head?"

I slapped my wing to my face and slooowly dragged it away. Sighing, I furrowed my brows and bunched a cheek, walking away from her and to the Aisle where the Spaghetti boxes were. "She wants to ask you some questions... I tried to talk her out of it, but like, as you can see... that didn't work."

Pushing the glass aside, Sans leaned his elbows over the table and said, "eh. it's okay, kid. this is the third time she's come here in the literal few days i've been around, so yeah. it's a thing i'm used."

Chuckling to herself, the officer walked her way over to the skeleton's counter and slapped a hand down over the wooded surface loud enough to make me gasp and shudder, looking their way... Funny thing is that it didn't scare the skeleton at all. The guy has nerves of steel. I swear. Undyne was smirking the entire time. "Say stuff like that and people might get the wrong idea, _**pal**_. You're already suspicious enough without trying to hit on cops."

With a short chuckle, she skeleton shrugged his shoulders, eye dots never stopping their stare into Undyne's eyes. "what can i say? girls like you really tickle my funny bone."

At that point, I made a disgusted wretch, squinting my eyes and turning back to my own business. Don't get me wrong. Sans's puns are great, but I'm pretty sure that was a "bad" one.

/You mean they aren't **_all_** bad?\

... Not everyone hates puns, dude.

I didn't want to hear anything else, but I unintentionally listened in on it while I was picking out the spaghetti boxes and ... Well, I kinda went to the treat aisle because I knew I'd have more than enough and I was feeling... you know... like a snack.

That said, my hearing led me to hear everything they were saying.

"Buddy, let's not beat around the bush, here. You suddenly showed up in the middle of the night four days ago when I passed this way. Dunno how, but I know it and you know it. And while that's _**more than**_ crazy enough to be suspect, I haven't seen your papers and you've got a place of business **and** a house on town property, here. I've checked in three times now. And I have a feeling Mayor Holiday's not gonna wait too much longer."

"and i keep telling you, i'm workin' on it. i'm just slow. you understand. we skeletons don't move so quick."

"After what I just saw with your brother, that's a lie."

"my bro is cool like that. cool. nice. fast. he's got energy i just don't got. all i am is humerus."

" _Those puns **aren't** helping!_"

"'course they are! you're grinning from ear to ear."

"Gh! I am ten seconds away **from punching a _hole_ in your skull**!"

"hmm... maybe you should have a drink? ya look stressed. i get a lot of those, y'see. and the best way to relax is to take the load off."

"... Look. I like ya. I'm tryin' to do you a favor. Lose the wise cracks and be serious. If you don't produce some papers for all of this- _**ESPECIALLY**_ for the dealing of alchoholic beverages and all that... you're gonna legitimately be looking at _**bars**_ all day, pal. And I don't mean **YOUR** bar. Their made of iron and there's no escape."

"heh... well, i can't give you what i don't have, yet. but don't worry. i don't plan on becoming a pile of bones in a dungeon. i got my bro to think of. come back on the last possible day of the new week. i guarentee i'll have something for ya then. deal? we'll even shake on it..."

"... _-Sigh-_ ... Funny bones, you _know_ you're skirting the law, here... I should throw you behind bars for even admitting you've got nothin' for me... But fine. Deal. Better believe I'll be showing up bright an early on that day and you had _**BETTER**_ have those papers. Otherwise, I'm gonna _enjoy_ doing my job."

"heh heh! put ér there, then!"

And then, just as I was able to think clearly enough to pick out some cinnabuns, I nearly jumped at a _-Pbbbbbt!-_ My head immediately went up and I dropped the buns on the ground. I stood up on my tip toes and stared there way just in time to see some small, red bladder or whatever sail across the air from the cop and business man! That cop didn't look very happy, considering the rolled up sleeve and the grit teeth. The skeleton, on the other hand, was laugh hard, hugging his sides with his head down and eye sockets shut!

Like, in that moment, I thought for sure Sans was dust, but all Undyne did was growl and swipe the air over his head with her fist! Then, she brought it slamming down onto the counting with a _ **-BNK!-**_ " _ **YOU ARE PISSIN' AWAY MY PATIENCE, FUNNY MAN!**_ "

Trying to catch his breath through his winding down laughter, the skeleton wiped a tear from his eye socket and winked at her. "hah! oh ho! sorry! but funny is funny! and that one never gets old..." Clearing his throat and waving a hand in surrender, he pointed a finger gun at her and said with ease, "but 'ey. that was the real deal. i ain't gonna skip town on ya. i'll have ém right here for ya when you get here." ... I just realized the pun in that sentence and I love it. _-Snrk!-_

/ _I hate it..._ \

Just as I was sinking back beyond the aisle, Undyne began to walk away. And that was my queue to mind my own business. And so, I did just that. I picked up my Cinnabuns, half crumbled or not, and proceeded to the counter with them and the spaghetti boxes. Though, the next thing I heard was the front to **SLAMMING** shut while I winced.

Taking my items over to Sans, he cocked his non-existent brow and asked, "sheesh, is she in a bad mood or what? she usually laughs a little bit."

While I was putting my stuff out for him and he was ringing them up on the register, I off-handedly said with the roll of my eyes, "She's just mad she never has anyone to arrest..."

With the last clack of the key, the register displayed a $15.60 total. "the usual price, kiddo~." Staring at me, he then said, "oh. and papyrus said the spaghetti you're mom sent over was great. said that i should ask if she'd be willing to take him on as an apprentice. heh. if he learns to make it like that, i'll be eternally grateful, tibianest."

Chuckling a little at the pun with a shaking head, I passed him a twenty over the counter and told him with a cocked brow, "I'll ask, but it's a family recipe. She might say no."

Shrugging his shoulders as he took the cash in his bone fingers, he huffed a laugh while opening the register. "tell ér it's a undead man's last request."

Rolling my eyes, I huffed through my nose holes and straightened my glasses. "I guess I can try, but I make no promises."

After he bagged the goods, he reached out to hand them to me by the hoops... but as I reached to take them... The ground started to shiver under my talons...

I gasped and stared down while a wing went across the counter for stability! Even the skeleton was shaken and we ended up both doing this same thing while the products of the aisles shivered, clanked, clattered and moved about on their shelves. "A-a tremor?!"

The skeleton grunted as he held tight to the counter and returned, "h-hey! i'm still new around here! how would i know?!"

The rumbling continued for an extra few seconds- long enough for a few cans to come falling off of their shelves... before it quieted down and faded...

... Standing up straight, we both looked around... before we looked at each other. I shook my head as the sweat rolled down my cheek. "To answer your question... no! We don't get tremors OR earthquakes! We get some hurricanes, but they're never bad..."

The pupils in his skull went out... I've learned it's when he's being serious that this, like... happens... "... maybe it'd be a solid idea to check outside..."

I couldn't agree more. We both hurried to the door, me reaching it first and slinging it open as I looked around. As I stepped outside, Sans came out on side of me...

At first, I didn't see anything. It was the town as it always had been, pardon one guy having fallen over on our side of the street and one monster mom sitting on the opposite sidewalk and trying to ease her crying baby's worry through gentle pats and shushes... But my eyes were looking for fallen houses or displaced fire hydrants. When they looked down, the changes were evident. They weren't massive or bad ones, but the side walk and road now sported several new running cracks in their previously flawless foundations. That isn't me being funny, either. Hometown's actually never had a road or sidewalk problem. It's miraculous, but true... ... ...

Mmmh... Okay, actually? Not true. Recently in terms of time to the event I'm describing, Undyne sealed off the road that leads straight out to the beach a mile away. The reason? The road had to be redone due to fallen trees wrecking the pavement. They had been growing at this odd angle for a while n- uh. Wait. This doesn't matter, right?

/Right.\

Yeah, sorry.

Uh, anyways, yeah. Nothing earth shaking- no pun intended... I blame that one on Sans, because at the time, he turned to me with the pupils back in his eyes and said, "heh. i guess it wasn't anything too earth shaking."

At the time, I wasn't in the mood for jokes, though... I was worried. And it showed through my frown... To put it into perspective, I was wondering, {Oh god... What if this has something to do with that hole? We've never even had a **tremor** before, much less and **_earthquake_**. And that hole was never there before! ... No what if's. **They're definitely related...** } At this point... I felt sick.

My pinions went straight to my beak to hold it shut while my face flushed. { _How bad is this going to get...?_ }

... But it was about to not matter what I thought. I hadn't been paying attention to the people around us. And there was a gathering happening around up, but not for the reason you think. Someone said, "Come on! You can see it from here!" Then, someone else asked, "H-hey, what's that?" From that point on, more people grew curious and gathered on the sidewalk. " **Look!** " My eyes bugged before my head turned up to look around at the growing mob. They were all looking up barely at an angle.

Concern grew in my expression... And so, I traced the line of one woman's vision... And I could clearly see **it**. My eyes were wide in fear, the sweat dripping down my face. my pinions dropped from my gaping beak...

Staring up and over the tree line... _that off shadow had become **very** visible._ The dome of the area had undoubtedly grown over trees. The sky seen through the dome looked grey. Plain, maybe... It was the thing I tried to force to the back of my mind till morning and yet here it was. _Everyone_ could see it.

"that... looks like trouble..." Sans was the one who said that. I just barely slow turned my head top look at him with a furrow. Like... I wanted to say something, but what could I? I didn't even know what exactly that thing **was**!

The look on his face was unchanged, but he was still sweating. Obviously, he was worried. Slipping his bone hands into his pockets, he turned his head to me and said, "i don't even gotta ask. the look on your face tells me everything. that ain't normal."

" _No, it is not..._ " It's all I could say...

At that point, Undyne stepped up from somewhere in the crowd and- with a serious narrow on her face, held her arms out, waving everyone back. "Everyone get back! No one is going anywhere near the wooded area! Move back, move along or return to your homes!"

Obviously, everyone was too freaked out to do anything but stare, except for certain few others. So, Undyne had to shepard them back a bit, myself included. After that, she slung out her walkie talkie and held it to her mouth, pushing the talk button. "I need a barricade. Sillow Wicke Woods is an N E A. No Entry Allowed. Gate it off." She let go of the talk button for a minute before someone came back, but whatever was said was too jumbled for me to make sense of. She, however, could. And it irritated her, judging by her scowl. "That's not a request. That's an **order!** I'll do it myself if I need to."

Obviously, the next thing that happened was a painful ten minute waiting period. But the entire time, I had constant fear going through my head. I was stiff and sweaty. All I could think was... {But wh-what about Noelle... an-and Kris? And Susie?! **What do I do?!** }

...

Ten minutes later, the police had worked fast. They had, for the moment, merely taped off the woods with Yellow [Do Not Enter] tape and were beginning to haul and place metal-barred barricades further around the perimeter. There were only three of them, but they-... well, I mean to say UNDYNE... like, worked fast. That woman could out-man any man in this town. Even Asgore. And he was an OX.

A few of us normal citizens had stayed, Sans included since he had nothing better to do and was pretty curious. ... Speaking of Asgore, he had rounded the block, too, brought around by spotting Undyne and asking what was going on. After being told about the black dome rising out of the forest and spotting it for himself, he followed Undyne around the bend of the forest and her to finish taping it off. He tried to offer further assistance, but Undyne refused, saying that she just needed her people to get here.

... I was a fidgety mess. My wings wouldn't stop rubbing at each other. And I couldn't stand still. It was a maddening thing to know there was a problem, think/know it was linked to what just happened, and even know that three people were missing. Up until that point, no one knew about that except me...

I'm pretty sure my expression looked sick. My brows were in a permanent furrow. And it had everything to do with my dirty conscience and the barricades. The more solid they looked, the more I felt like I should be saying something. The flesh under my feathers burned. The sweat wouldn't stop falling. My beak felt numb! And my tail feathers felt like they were molting right off...

" **Undyne!** "

I gasped at the sudden voice of a woman with a near jump and shiver, eyes wide and feathers sticking up! It's because I recognized it... like, **_too_ **well...

I didn't turn around. **SHE** came walking into my field of vision all on her own, right in front of Undyne while she was laying a steel barricade down. Undyne looked annoyed with the bored stare on her face when she met eyes with the woman who'd called for her. The woman who stood in front of her, wearing black hoof stilettos over her brown hooves... Their stilettos, but for hooves, so think toeless... And rounder...

(Oh... So, _that's_... where she comes in...)

R-right... Mayor Holiday. Christine Gwendaline R. Holiday, for those who **DON'T** know her... d-Don't get me wrong. Like, she's not so bad these days and this isn't a slander... I gotta make that clear. E-everything we say about anyone here is just... well, how we know it happened.

/ **Easy**. I'm pretty sure the people listening know. And an Audio journal/biography wouldn't be much if it was full of _lies._ \

Oh... It's just.. saying something about her behind her back feels kind of dangerous sometimes...? Maybe it's PTSD, but like... would _you_ want to be on her bad side?

/... Nnnno. I think we kind of all wouldn't.\

Then, you get my nervousness about it all...

Anyways... Noelle's mom... Mayor Holiday, I mean... Uuuh... Well, she looks a lot like a fully grown up Noelle, actually... if Noelle had reddish-brown eyes, an icy stare and thick mascara. She doesn't have horns- she's not exactly a REINdeer monster. Just a DEER monster. Her hair is dirty blond. And she usually does it in a straight pony tail down the back. Constantly drooping deer ears. Black nose. Snow-white freckles. Red-painted nails. Yes, she has human nails. And of course she has a deer tail. Aaand tall. Like, had-to-be-part-anteloupe-monster tall. NOT Toriel or Asgore tall. DEFINITELY not Papyrus tall. That's just a whole different thing.

As for usual attire... She's business first. Take a wild guess. Pitch black suit with a white undershirt that had a pitch-black tie and she also wore a pitch black skirt. Dark stockings. You already know about the hoof stilettos...

In that moment, she had the most irritated scowl on her face and was folding her arms. " **What**. is going on here?"

The officer stood up straight and folded her arms right back. The glare she shot the Mayor wasn't exactly a friendly one. "What's it look like? I'm taping off a potential hazard to the citizens. Ain't ya seen the roof uh' this place?"

I couldn't decide who's glare would be worse to have on me... That's why I found myself frozen... And Sans took notice by the way he was staring at me from the corners of his sockets...

The mayor squinted at the officer. "That explains the excessive tape waste and the use of our barricades on **top** of that. But that is not what I asked." She pointed to the wooded tree line and seemed to grow dull in expression. "Why is there an _**unsightly**_ dome of dark energy- as that is all I can describe it as- in the middle of Sillow Wicke Woods in the first place?"

The officer drew her balled fists to her side and glared more intensely, shaking her head incredulously. " ** _Seriously?!_** How the hell do ya come here thinkin' **I** know? I don't friggin' practice the voodoo arts- **I'm a cop!** "

The deer woman shut her eyes in frustration with narrowed brows digging into her field of vision. Raising a hand swiftly, she made a "closed lips" gesture with her fingers. " **Tone it down.** Your volume is irritating **enough** at _normal_ range."

It was no secret to anyone that Mayor Holiday and Chief Undyne don't like each other. Their personalities completely clashed. But Undyne **REALLY** does not like her. And I can't really blame her. Everything Undyne does seems to set the Mayor off. She could fire her, but the one thing she likes about Undyne is that she gets the job done.

Undyne had been staring pure death down into the deer woman for the longest minute. I really did think she would throw her fist directly **through** the woman's face with how dangerous that expression was... but... Undyne just sighed and reached up, adjusting her cap with her hands to shade her face more with it's bill. The dark of her expression changed into a more relaxed, but still not totally settled stare. "It's not something I know anything about. It looks like it appeared after the tremor hit. But I haven't investigated it yet. I wanted to establish an off-limits perimeter first. I don't want any monsters getting anywhere near the place, since it's _unquestionably_ dangerous."

Mayor Holiday nodded, keeping her stern narrow on the taller woman's face. "I assume you will carry out this investigation immediately after your job here is done?"

"Of course." ... She then let out a low energy "oh" as she tilted her head down a bit more. "By the way... You asked me to give her the gate keys after she got out of school, but I ain't seen Noelle at all."

My gasp caught in my throat while my eyes froze on wide mode. I suddenly wanted to be anywhere's but here, but my legs wouldn't move. Instead, all I could do was shake in place while that revelation played out.

The mayor's face took on a look of irritation mixed with nervousness. " _Excuse me...?_ "

"I said-"

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head while she leaned it in closer to Undyne's face. "I heard what precisely you said! I am asking you if you are **serious!** " Hard or not, she was still a mom. You would have to be a **brick** not to care about your daughter at all.

Slightly irritated to see that it was Mayor Holiday who was raising her voice now, Undyne's octave got a bit more stressed as well as she groaned. "I and you **both** know I am. I might sometimes get bored and look for trouble, but I don't lie about stuff like this."

Taking a hurried breath of air in before huffing it out again, the Mayor relaxed her stance on Undyne and took a step back, still narrowing her eyes but now more nervously.

While a cop- I'm not gonna bother describing Franklin, but his name was Franklin. (Jeeze, you can just _HEAR_ the "background character" in his name)- was coming by with another barricade and setting it down next to Undyne's, the deer woman immediately took a few steps toward him before her stern gaze narrowed into his surprised and intimidated one. " **Franklin!** "

"U-uh, **yes maám!** ( _Jeeze, why is it always me..._ )" I think that's what he said.

"Have you seen Noelle today _**at all**_?"

He made a frown, rubbing the back of his scalp. "I don't think so, maám. I was-"

" _I don't care what you were doing,_ " She inserted, making him almost freeze up through a shudder.

The _lazier_ cop that hadn't been doing much this entire time came by next while the mayor took to pinching her nose bridge through irritation. As for the deal with the other cop, he doesn't really matter but he ironically, like, has more presence than Frank ever did. So, I'll just say this much. He's the typical cool looking cop who always wears glasses, but he doesn't really do anything. He's a kind of Zombie. They draw the absolute line between humans and monsters with Cyborgs and Mutants.

Anyways, this guy in particular was about Undyne's height- an-and I'll be quick since this is kinda damaging flow. Midnight Black hair buzzcut, never shows his eyes or eye, sharp gold-tinted shades, grey skin like paste. Not bad looking, I guess. Probably the best you'll get for a Zombie. Always has a cig in his mouth, but just for the record... he doesn't smoke them. He chews them. Dr- I mean _cool_ -guy build, same uniform as Undyne's and heavy combat boots. Wears studded leather fingerless gloves.

Immediately after he set down the barricade next to uh... that.. that one guy... what did I ca-

(Franklin.)

F-Franklin! Right. After he set down his barricade next to Franklin's- who was still highly uncomfortable being here by the way he was shifting, the mayor then targeted him and asked, " **Brian!** Have you seen Noelle today?"

... Unlike Franklin, Brian took his time to set down his barricade without having seemingly been bothered.

While he was cracking his neck and straightening his posture again with a hand on his hip, the mayor narrowed her eyes further. " _ **Deputy Brian!**_ "

"Heard you. Gimme a sec," is what he said while he chewed the butt of his smokeless smoke. "Thought you understood. We don't think fast..." ... ... ... He then looked directly at her and said, "Saw her earlier today passing by the office. Didn't see her at all after that. Did see Susie, though. And Berdly's right over there."

That little off-handed mention of my name made me feel like all of my color just melted right off of me... Because that was when the uncharacteristically nervous, but still cold eyes of the mayor laid upon me in the quickest turn. She suddenly came quick walking toward me while I unconsciously started to slowly walk back. Sans "uh"d in concern, looking a little nervous **FOR** me and wanting to say something, but she reached me before he could utter more than what he had. She stood over me and god... I wanted to f*cking RUN...

I averted my eyes as she leaned in on me...

The funny thing is that, out of everyone here, I had a perk going for me. ... I was in good with Mayor Holiday since I was Noelle's friend. Her eyes softened just enough not to look annoyed, but they still looked sterner than I would have liked. "Berdly..."

I turned my eyes back to her, but my head turned away instead while my sweat free fell down my face. I was shaking WAY too much. It was the third worst I had ever felt and that's saying something. I was AFRAID of what would happen next... but I had to talk... "Y-y-yes maám...?"

She took a breath. More controlled. My tone was a dead give away. She knew it. I knew. I couldn't lie about the biggest detail if I wanted to or I guarentee you... it wouldn't have been good...

The deer woman exhaled and folded her arms over her chest. "Where is my daughter? You have to have seen her today with how close you two are... Tell me." It wasn't a request. I knew that... It was an _**order**_.

But all the same, even though I couldn't lie... I could put off answering. I stared down at the ground and kept my silence as I held my arms tight to myself. I was borderline having a nervous breakdown... I knew exactly what I had done and I knew exactly where Noelle was. But if I admitted to the former... any special treatment was gone. She'd probably have told Undyne to put me under a restraining order, meaning... you know what it means... That's being lenient, even.

... What could I have done...?

(... ... ... _-Sigh-_ Berdly, I told you before. I'm not mad at you for what happened... I was in the moment, but I'm not anymore...)

... You had and _still_ have every right to be and... so did Kris and Susie...

... But we aren't there, yet...

Before I could get more than a choked, "I," out, I heard a woman calling, " _ **Kris...?!**_ "

My eyes were suddenly wide again. I snapped around uncontrollably with Mayor Holiday standing straight to stare irritably out at the very same person I had locked onto. Ms. Toriel. Toriel Etuary. And for those wondering, yeah. Etuary is her original family surname before Dreemurr, so she just took it back after the divorce.

She looked worry- ** _wrecked_** with her furrowed brows and deep frown and the way she was searching each and every direction in frantic hopes of seeing Kris. She kept looking like she wanted to shoot off in just about every direction with how many turns and jerks her body did... "Kris, where have you...?!" It made me feel even worse when she came almost jogging toward everyone in the crowd, myself and Mayor Holiday included. And with that spreading frown over her face... "Please! Has **anyone** seen Kris? I-I cannot find them **anywhere!** Their phone will not even receive my calls!"

I swore my very SOUL was damaged just looking at how scared she looked, reading the faces of the crowd as they all shook their heads. Sans was included and he looked less than thrilled to see her like this... He turned to look at me and all I could feel was the guilt pressing my insides even harder... I had to look away, pinions along my neck while I tried to breathe under all of that... And you know what was even worse...? Asgore was the one who stepped forward, a lesser frown on his face, but a frown all the same... "Our child.. as well...?"

Her eyes met his. And let's not pretend... We all know by know that their relationship is an uncomfortable one at best... But Toriel was staring at him no differently than she would have any other sympathetic soul in that moment. But her concern **DID** go up. "Another child is missing?!" ... Her eyes fell upon the concrete. She genuinely looked panicked, especially when her hands went up and cupped to her mouth. I could see her breathing with the rise and fall of her shoulders...

/... I... I knew she had worried, but... _God, I had no idea_... But... I'm starting to see where this is going...\

... Right... Yeah, you're not wrong... And actually... That's when I started to feel it... I don't know how to properly describe my state of mind in that moment, but... I'll try... ... ... I was scared, angry at myself... Regret, stress and doubt were running wild inside my mind and all I needed to do was tell the truth or jump down that hole myself... But then, fear came up. If I told the whole truth, I was not only admitting I was the cause of at least several parts of this... I was also saying that three of the kids of the town had potentially committed the unthinkable... Because no. It didn't matter whether or not _**I**_ believed Kris and Susie... It mattered what everyone else thought... And me jumping down that hole or running headlong into the woods meant that everyone was going to either witness it first hand and think another was about to add to that tally... or someone was going to jump with me, try to stop me or any number of bad outcomes and ideas! Heck! Maybe I wouldn't even get that far! Undyne was right there and she was way faster! ...

The further down that stressful rabbit hole I thought, the more my thoughts started to _actually_ spin, scream, clutter, hurt and rage. At the end, for a solid ten seconds, every doubt, fear, regret, nagging thought, choice, person, place and thing I had thought about and seen that day was coming back and repeating in no particular order at all. I could feel myself breaking. That's not an exaggeration. ... But the thing that **KILLED** me the most... was the image my mind concocted fresh. Brand new... It was the image of me, mom, Toriel, Asgore and just about everyone in town... And we were all dressed in black, standing at Noelle's, Kris' and Susie's early graves...

(/...\\)

... And in that moment, I cracked... I didn't know how absolutely horrified I looked in that moment, but Sans did... He stepped up to me and furrowed his sockets. "uh, kid... you okay? yer' practically shakin' your tail feathers off..."

... I couldn't take it. "I KNOW WHERE THEY ARE!" My shrilled voice carried across the entire crowd, drawing all attention to me... Toriel and Asgore both stared at me, surprised and even hopeful, but also concerned. The way Mayor Holiday looked at me was taken aback, yet suspicious... I had pulled my head down and had my pinions clenched into feathery fists. I had stopped myself from shaking, but I was so tightened up that it was hardly any better...

... Relaxing my shoulders and body, eyes opened to stare at the ground, the energy I had before almost dropped like a ton of bricks into my talons. There was no going back, now that all three had gathered around me... The mayor had been the one to place a hand on my shoulder. Her icy eyes were still intimidating, but ... I had already made my choice. She asked me again. "Where is my daughter, Berdly?"

"And where is our child, Kris," Toriel added in through a softer tone. I can imagine she had a worried frown on her face.

... I turned my head up to the mayor and frowned... Then, I first pointed toward the forest, passed her while I closed my eyes out of shame. My voice cracked quite a few times during the confession. "... Both... went into the woods... Kris and Noelle... and Susie, too... None of them have come out..." The admission left people gasping, but the look on the mayor's face broke through her usual coldness as it slowly warped into a wide-eyed one of horror. And what was worse... She turned to look at the forest and I could only imagine the thoughts going through her mind... I hadn't seen the pure terror on Ms. Toriel's face, though. The discomforted worry in Asgore's wasn't going to look any better...

... Undyne came walking forward at that moment and crossed her arms, staring down at me almost unsurprised. ""So, **that's** the thing you were hiding, huh...?"

Staring up at her, all my face could do was frown in shame. And then, I stepped forward toward her as I went to further explain myself. "Pl-lease, just.. Just listen. I was told not to say anything! Not until tomorrow, if they weren't back! Because-"

"Because _**what**_ ," spat Undyne, obvious irritation in her face. "Kid, **this is a big friggin' deal.** Now _wasn't_ the time to go keeping quiet! It's one thing if they were just hanging around in the forest when it wasn't screwed up, but you should have com-"

"That's enough, Undyne."

The fish woman suddenly paused at the booming cut-in... Asgore had been the one to cut in. We both stared up at him while he stepped forward from Toriel, who looked like she was just staring at the ground at a tearful loss. His face was even, but stern. "The child understands the wrong of it. He would not have come forth about this otherwise. However, that is only half of the issue. And I would like to know his reasons for not coming forward until now." ... And that was when he redirected his attention down to me, a soft stare in his eyes. "Now, boy... You were saying you did not feel it best to say anything about this until tomorrow. Because...?"

Out of anyone in town, Asgore was the most level-headed. Still, like... I didn't know he'd listen to me when his kid was in trouble.

At first, I could only furrow up at him... But bowing my head, I told him exactly why. "Because... Because, Kris and Susie were going in to go looking for Noelle.. She... sh-she ran off into the forest after school and after we went looking, we found the black area... A shade-glowing hole in the ground. They were convinced without a doubt that that "black hole" is where she disappeared into... Kris told me they had gone inside one of those before... a-and that it was dangerous. They told me that they weren't sure what would happen if anyone else went in, s-so they didn't want that happening unless they didn't come back out by tomorrow morning... S-so..."

"And so, they thought it best to keep this hush hush 'till there wasn't any other option." I nearly jumped out of my feathered down in shudders, eyes wide and beak open. That wasn't Asgore... It was Mom... I turned around to see her walking toward us, Toriel still not having seemed to finish processing the bomb I had just dropped. But my mom? She looked extra annoyed with me. Shaking her head, she folded her wings and told me, "I understand you were tryin' to do what you thought was right, but this isn't a job for you kids. It's one for us adults. You shoulda just come forward with this."

I wanted to argue that point, because Kris made it sound like they and Susie were absolutely sure they could handle whatever was in there. But just when I went to say something, the Mayor chimed in. "She's right." I turned to look at the Mayor, who was standing over me with a stern coldness in her eyes. "Berdly, this was **utter** foolishness. I cannot believe the level of thoughtlessness you allowed yourself to be taken in by. Do you not understand what you have allowed to happen in your silence?"

If I wasn't feeling low enough, this was only worsening it. I tried to say that I had no idea how bad things were going to get, but all I ever got to say was, "I-" before she cut in.

"Leaving my daughter's rescue to that _**beast** _and a delinquent has to be about the worst idea I have ever heard."

... The statement made me just stare in discomforted confusion... " _H-huh...?_ "

"... _Excuse me...?_ " The low toned voice came from Toriel and I suddenly felt the biggest shiver run up my spine. I spun around to see her... And I have never seen her with such a dank scowl across her face.

Eyes wide and sweat running over my face, I stepped back and away, "hands" up in defense as she suddenly stormed forward, stomping mad. Asgore looked very nervous about this and attempted to take Toriel by the shoulder, only for the goat woman to almost immediately wrench her shoulder free with a grunt. "Stay **out** of this, _Dreemurr_ ," I could hear her hiss. My mom, for her part, wasn't intimidated like I was, but she took a sigh and felt her pinions to her face. Under her breath, she cursed Mayor Holiday's name... for being ... well...

(... I think we can use our imaginations. You don't have to say it.)

/Forget _b-word_ usage. I can **_imagine_** what my mom was about ready to **do.** \

W-well, she didn't really go **THAT** far, but she was, like, really close to it.

But what happened next was that Toriel came to loom over Mayor Holiday before she took a finger and almost jabbed her in the chest while she borderline shouted at her. "There are three children in danger with the possibilities being that they are either lost, hurt or **dead**! And all you can think to do is insult **mine** and **Marie's** _ **child**_?! They may have indeed done a foolish thing here, but they thought to go to **your** daughter's _**AID**_!"

The mayor was almost unmoved, the only movement being from a knee-jerk reaction from being jabbed and glarish ice daggers right back at Toriel. " ** _OH?_** How _willfully **naive** _of you to forget! Your _**CHILD**_ was the one responsible for my daughter being to afraid to **SPEAK** for several days and remains the reason she cannot properly **interact** with the other children! And let's not forget Marie's **_BEAST_** of a _daughter_! She is the absolute **_LAST_** person I would allow **near** Noelle!"

She then turned to MY mother and gestured to her. "Candace can **attest** to how _**BARBARIC**_ that **brat** can be!" My mother leveled an unamused narrow at the woman colder than anything she could throw her way, but said nothing. For context, mom's always thought we were both wrong in our... our fight... It didn't really even matter. The mayor then pointed to me as she went even further. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, holding my bad wing and averting my eyes in shame as she then went on to point out the obvious. "Even moreover, here stands the child she's wronged the **most**! What _**CHILD**_ would permanently scar another for a petty **insult**?!"

Toriel made an even further irritated and anger contorted face. She looked like she wanted to punch the deer's lights out, but never raised her fists. Instead, she shook her head and spouted out, "I do not know why I am surprised by how **single-minded you are!** You are so **lost** to your own little world that you cannot see the _**true**_ danger in this situation! However, ** _for the record_** , whatever they have done in the past, it does not change the fact that out of all of us, _the ones who actively went to her aid are **Susie and Kris!**_ And it does _**NOT**_ change the fact that they are **ALL** in danger! _Maybe_ you wish to bicker further and attempt to gain some further logical standing against me as to make yourself seem more _competent_ , but I refuse to **stand here arguing with the woman who does** _ **NOT. KNOW. HER OWN DAUGHTER!"**_

(... She really said that...?)

I couldn't lie about it if I wanted to. I was close enough for my ears to _ring_ from Toriel's volume.

(... It's no wonder she... ... ...)

... Is this too much? I-I can, like, just stop here. My voice is getting hoarse anyway.

(... I'm okay. Keep going, please.)

I-... Alright.

/... Y'know, it's actually pretty ironic.\

(H-huh?)

Uh... yeah. Huh? Like... where'd that come from?

/I mean... she-... Wait... Nevermind. I can't say, right now. Forgot myself there, for a second.\

(...? _-Gasp!-_ Ooooh! Oh, yeah! I understand. Eheeh! You definitely just dodged a bullet, there~!)

But you probably just blue-balled half of your listening audience...

/Keep making outbursts like that and that won't mean much.\

... Can I just get back to my chapter in this crazy mess?

(/It's best that way.\\)

... Ooookay then.

Well, the sheer power and meaning of her shouted words seemed to rock Mayor Holiday noticeably. She was dripping and seemed significantly disturbed, but her anger- or perhaps it was pure outrage- hadn't totally vanished. Too bad Toriel had already side-stepped and stormed passed her. That didn't mean the mayor gave up, turning around and tailing her, asking, " **What**. exactly is ** _that_** supposed to mean?!"

But Toriel just tuned her out as she was storming toward the wooded area... Unfortunately, Undyne put herself in the way with a few easy steps. She was giving the larger woman a stare-down, arms folded.

Toriel matched her with an already beyond irritated leer. "Step aside, Undyne. **_Now._** "

The fish woman shook her head and told her, "Not a chance in hell, lady. You ain't going inside the forest. The kid just sai-"

"No. She is right," came Asgore's voice. He stepped forward beside Toriel, much to her unamused annoyance. Regardless, he had Undyne's attention. "You _should_ step aside."

The goat woman narrowed her eyes at him, arms crossed. "I told you, Dreemurr- stay out-"

"No, Ms. Etuary. I will not."

Taken aback by his assertion, the woman could only stare at him in surprise. Probably because Asgore usually wasn't that firm. But it was clear that this was different. I don't need to tell you about your own dad.

The guy had a stern narrow in his eyes and his overall body language told me he wasn't going to budge, especially the balled fists. "You forget. While they live under _your_ roof, Kris is **my** child as well as your **own**. This is something that I will not be swayed away from. I am coming with you to look for our child and watch out for you yourself. And that is that."

She took a pause while Undyne merely shook her head at the both of them throwing her arms out in defeat before letting them slap back to her sides. "You people are impossible. If you get hurt or worse, I ain't hearin' it. But regardless, I still need to check out the area. Confirm what this kid was telling us wasn't just a big fat lie. So, I'm going with you guys everywhere you go."

"... _No._ "

Undyne looked like she'd just been slapped. She glared scrutiny into the one who'd said that, Mayor Holiday. **" _WHAT?_ "**

The deer woman was giving her a hard, cold leer, arms folded. "You may accompany them as far as the **edge** of the darkened area. However, you may not _**enter**_ it with them. I need you here in order to keep the peace and to keep everyone in line. If they wish to endanger themselves, you will let them." ... In my opinion, it was an obvious spite against them. And Undyne, for that matter. She was no longer thinking of anything but how angry she was at them collectively. And while she couldn't spite Toriel or Asgore, she could spite Undyne, who was **FORCED** to listen to her...

The fish woman's head tilted down a bit. It was enough to have the shadow cast by her cap overshadow her glaring expression of irritation with her superior. Her eyes were practically glowing with the emotion...

... Honestly? I _**REALLY**_ felt bad for Undyne. This sort of thing was exactly what she had been waiting for and now she was being told she couldn't help in any real way, but I'm repeating myself.

"... Lady, I'm getting _**real** _sick and tired of you..."

"Regardless, _that's an order._ " The Mayor then turned to look at Franklin and Brian. "And that goes for you two as well."

Franklin saluted and said, "O-of course, maám!"

But Brian clicked his teeth while grinding extra hard into his cigarette, probably over this all already. "Whatever."

Me, on the other hand...? I ended up staring at my talons... It felt way wrong to just sit here and watch more people march into the forest, potentially never to return... Call it whatever you want. _I was having a change of heart. I found some courage. Or maybe I decided I needed to do this on bare principle alone..._ I wanted to help. And there was only one way I felt I would be helping... Going with them...

I turned my head back up and took a few steps forward, trying to put on a brave face. But when I voiced my desire...? " **W-wait!** I wanna go, too!"

At first, the two goat monsters turned to me with worry and doubt. But... "Sorry, but that ain't happening." I knew who just spoke and I felt their "hand" push me back along my chest! I stumbled back and nearly fell over before catching my balance and staring up to look at who had done it... We all know it was my mom. " _ **M-Mom?!**_ "

While the goat monsters looked at her, she turned to stare down at me with a smile, shaking her head. "Sorry. But I'm your mother and I'm saying no, Berd. If either of us is going, it's me. We've got enough kids unaccounted for. And no son of mine's jumping down into some freaky hole. Pretty sure it'll come down to that, with my luck."

At first, I was too stunned to talk, so I just walked back up, beak open... And then, a furrow in my brows, I told her, "But... But it should be me! I-I should have gone with them in the first place! She's my friend- It should be my-"

" _ **Can it.**_ "

Cut off, I stopped talking and just stared, shaking my head with a squint.

With her wings on her hips, she shook her head and stared me directly in the eyes. "Lemme put it this way." She looked to and fro the two goat monsters behind her and then back at me as she said, "These two ain't quite right in the head. One of them is worried and angry. The other is worried and stubborn. And beyond that, putting the both of them alone with a kid that's _obviously_ not got his head on straight ain't a good idea at all. Especially considering their past relationship."

Both goat monsters took at look at themselves... Obviously, They both turned away from each other, either out of shame(Asgore) or out of resentment(Toriel).

" _I_ figure I can supply some much needed calm rationality."

... As much as I didn't like it, she was making perfect sense... I bowed my head and dropped my shoulders... "But... What if you don't come back...? What if **NONE** of you come back?"

"Hey..." I felt her wing rest over my shoulder. Looking up into her face, I saw her stare at me with a smile, calm and without a doubt. "Ain't gonna happen. I'll be makin' it back home before tomorrow comes 'round. And when do, I'm making that spaghet. So, don't you go crying over me. I don't wanna come back and have to dry you off, now. Got it?" With a spreading smile, she pat me over the shoulders with both wings, before pulling me in and hugging me abruptly to herself tight, all the while leaning her head down for a whisper. _"And ya better believe I'm gonna be bringing Noelle outta there with the rest of ém. You've still got an apology to get her, now don't you?"_

... I sighed and shut my eyes, finally submitting with a nod and returning the hug... "... Alright, mom... I-I'll... hold you to that..."

"Of course." After saying that, she and I separated and she stepped back toward Asgore and Toriel, smiling down at me one last time with a tilted head. "Take care ya don't wait too long to eat, though. Still ain't had supper, ya know~."

... You're thinking I should have cried, right?

/Huh?\

(... We didn't say anything.)

But you ARE thinking it...

/... No. We aren't. But I have to admit that if I were in your place, I... don't really know. I am the one who doesn't have memories of the time before this all, after all.\

... Mh... And what about you?

(... Asgore has always been good to me. Ms. Toriel and Ms. Fitzerd, too... It's hard to think you couldn't, but... I-I guess that I'm the softest one here...)

... I felt like I should, too.

(Huh...?)

I should have cried. She was right there. She was about to disappear from the world into where I wasn't certain lead anywhere. Heck, she probably figured it was just a hole in the ground and climbing out would be as easy as can be. But I had pretty much figured out by now that something like that was absolutely impossible. After all. Kris, Susie and Noelle all hadn't come back yet...

Regardless of having every reason to cry, I... I just.. didn't...

... But I did do one last thing. "Wait," I told her, just as they were starting to walk away with Undyne. And that acted as enough to make them all stop and look at me. I looked at the ground in thought, then back up at my mom's inquisitive stare. "One sec, okay? I-I'll be right back." I looked at Sans. He was already looking at me with his usual expression unreadable. "Uh, Sans. Can you come with me?"

He paused for a split second, but nodded regardless and jogged to his own store behind me. ... Hah. Now that I think about it, that was the fastest I had ever seen him move. Guess he saw the importance.

... So what I did was I gathered as many Cinnabuns as my remaining twenty and some odd cents could get and had Sans check them out for me. Then, I compiled them into a larger, more sturdy bag with the ones that I had already purchased. That made a solid twelve. It meant I had no buns for at home, but hey. I had plenty of other stuff to eat...

After that, I ran back outside, Sans tailing close behind, but he was slower... Uh...

(What...?)

I think I missed something happening between Ms. Toriel and Mayor Holiday. Because upon walking up to the scene again, they were turned completely away from each other and both had their arms folded. My guess...? Another heated argument...

I should have asked about it, but I just... didn't care to. Shaking my head and walking up to my mother with the bag in hand, I furrowed my brows as she stared at me, both confused and intrigued with her wings on her hips. "What's all that?"

Bringing the bag up for her to take, my beak curved in a slight smile despite the furrow in my eyes. "Don't laugh, but it's Cinnabuns... Th-they were the cheapest filling thing that was easy to eat that I could think of buying."

She took the back and slung it over her shoulder, cocking a brow down at me and taking a moment before she said anything. "All of this for a wooded area and a hole...? Kinda seems like you're convinced this could take a while."

Of course, I nodded, losing the smile. "If Susie and Kris weren't lying to me like I believe they weren't... it really could." While I was talking, Ms. Toriel, Asgore and Mayor Holiday all shared an interest in hearing what I had to say. "The black shade coming off of it looks ominous enough, right? Well... They were saying that hole was something like... a portal. It leads to something they called the Dark World. Supposedly, it's very dangerous, but I don't know anything else about it. They were both in too much of a hurry to go in after Noelle to tell me what was going on..."

... My mother made a pensive expression at the new information. "Sheesh... Now, I'm **_really_** glad I'm goin' and not you. But ... it can't be a whole other world, can it...?"

I shrugged in response, seeing as I had no way of truly knowing. "Can't really say."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mayor Holiday hang her head and pinch her bridge. " _ **Unbelievable...**_ "

... Mom tilted her head at that off-handed comment, her expression unreadable... She then turned to the mayor and folded her arm wings. "Ya know, I could say something pretty mean right now, if you still haven't learned your lesson. You've got Tori and Undyne peeved with you. Ya really want me to chip in? Us being friends doesn't mean I can't tell ya when you're goin' about things wrong..."

The question made the deer woman turn and look at her with a dirty glare. "..."

Relaxing her gaze more, mom then told her, "I know you're worried for her. I am, too. So... let us help. Don't fight with us."

... I didn't think I would ever see it... But, in that moment, the ice queen furrowed her brows and tried to avoid eye contact. It really wasn't much. It could have even been a trick of the light. God knows she didn't want to make it obvious. "Just... Please... find.. my daughter, Candice..." My brows raised for the vulnerability I heard in her voice. Obviously, this doesn't make up for her attitude earlier, but it was at least humanizing... er... monsternizing? ... Mortalizing. I'll call it mortalizing.

Regardless, Mom then rejoined up with Toriel and Asgore, who were waiting beside Undyne

At that point, Undyne was removing the gate most near us, opening it up before placing it down. Then, she took hold of the yellow tape and pulled it up for passage. "Alright." She turned her eyes on the group of three, serious as could be. "Are you guys ready? There's no turning back, if what the kid says is true. And I wish I could go with you, but... you know the deal."

Nodding as her eyes trailed off dully, Toriel remarked, "Of course. We have already wasted enough time with this back and forth."And then, she immediately walked forward through the opening Undyne had made.

"Agreed," Asgore stated simply, a focused stare directed at the goat woman's back. He then made after her, his heavy footsteps slightly audible in the grass.

Mom turned around one last time to stare back at me with a smile and a wink, then a wing on her hip, she looked at Undyne and huffed a chuckle. "Woulda been interesting having Chief Undyne along for the ride, as well."

While Mom began her approach on the opening, Undyne returned the laugh proudly through a grin. "Trust me, lady. I'm thinkin' about coming anyway..."

That little admission brought back the usual Mayor Holiday as she sent an icy stare at the chief, brow raised. " _Oh?_ " Undyne clicked her teeth and rolled her eyes, but the mayor then turned to Brian, arms still folded with a lean to one side, she tapped her forearm with a finger and told him, "Deputy Brian. Accompany Chief Undyne under suspicion of future willful disobeying~."

The Zombie groaned and stuffed his hands into his vest's pocket, chewing on his cigarette. "Fine. Whatever."

Undyne snapped around with the grind of her teeth and wider, still scowled eyes! " **Oh, F $% YOU, lady!** "

A slight smirk on her face told me that Mayor Holiday was just playing Devil's Advocate, now. "No, thank you. I'm _taken._ " She was just doing this to piss her off~... I don't know why. But the way she said that last bit made me crack a smile through an unintentional chuckle.

(A-ah... _**EW!**_ Berdly, _ **no!**_ )

H-hey! I'm just being honest! The hilarity wore off in seconds, anyway...

/Question.\

Uh...?

/How come you're telling of this doesn't include any of our **other** friends? I mean, it's not like _**EVERYONE**_ was in the Dark World except you... Where were the others?\

Oh... Uh... I think I saw a few in the crowd, but I wasn't really paying attention at the time... I know quite a few of them gave me weird looks after this. They probably **saw** what sort of mess I was and **heard** the things I said... I mean, like... they _were_ crazy enough things to just out and claim without anyone else having seen what I did. And what _you_ did.

So yeah. With Mom and some of the most important people that were in my life or in town about to go jumping through the portal to _who-knows-where_ right in front of me, I didn't really pay much attention to what all was going on otherwise. Sans was not exactly front and center, so I wasn't looking at him at all. Dunno what he thought about all of this. But I got the vibe that Undyne was very on the fence about all of this.

/... Alright then. I guess that.. kinda _does_ make sense...\

Yeah... Anyways, I was back to frowning pretty quick, like I said. Because mom was leaving... She passed under the tape and traveled further into the forest. The chief looked to Deputy Brian and told him, "Well, come on. We'll get left behind if you travel your usual pace..."

The paste-colored man groaned in irritation and bunched his cheek a bit, before he started walking at a reasonably fast pace. But of course, Undyne still thought he was slow... Still, for me, they could have gone slower. The crowd hadn't moved an inch. And I couldn't really tear my eyes away from the parting within the trees where my mom was walking away...

"Now that this is settled... **People of Hometown! I ask that you all remain calm and return to your homes in peace! The matter is being dealt with!** "

And with that, everyone was starting to thin out, walking away chit chatting with one another. "What a soap opera," some guy said. "This is **TOO** freak," a woman claimed. "Don't tell me you _believe_ any of that nonsense, Cattie..." Whatever they said, I didn't pry my eyes off of the group's back. It wasn't like it would be the last time I saw any of them, but I still got this burning feeling in my cheeks like a premonition.

A hand touched my shoulder and, while I didn't look her way, I could hear it was Mrs. Holiday. "Berdly, you heard your mother. Return home... But in the event that there is a next time, don't trust my daughter's life in the hands of _delinquents_ , please..." I slowly stared up at her with a frown She was giving me the most conflicted expression. I could see both irritation and concern in her face. Her brows' slight narrow were the irritation, but the rest of her face was probably where I got the concern... Don't ask me why it felt that way, but it felt that way.

... Regardless, my head turned right back with my eyes to the clearing... If I squinted hard enough, I could still make out Undyne's read hair and red fin webbing. "I-I'll go home in a minute..."

Her hand left my shoulder, but she still informed me that, "The cerfeu will be a sharp 8 o' clock." I could hear her starting to walk off... and then her hoof steps silenced themselves. "And you. Sans, was it?"

"yeah...?" Sans sounded downcast.

"I want your papers by the end of the month."

"... heh. day late and a dollar short. i already told yer' chief it'd be the last day of the new week."

"... The last day of the new week is _**still**_ the end of the month. No jokes, skeleton."

"i got it, i got it. don't worry about it."

At that, I could hear her scoff before the clops of her stilettos returned... and before long, were gone again for obvious reasons.

A clackity hand tapped me on the shoulder. A bone one. "hey, kid." I wordlessly turned to look at him. Sans, I mean. His expression was even. But then again, it usually is. Retracting his hand and shoving it into his coat pocket, he told me, "if your house gets too bo- ..." He WAS gonna say "bonesome", but he shook his head and made a re-attempt. "uh, i mean... if your house gets to lonesome, you're welcomed to crash at mine and papy's place. we've got a pretty good deal goin' for us. and yeah. i know. we just met three days ago. but, to be honest... i like ya, kid. so... don't be a stranger if the stranger ain't workin' for ya... alright?"

Sounded like a pretty good deal. But I wouldn't just take him up on that offer right away. Still... I smiled and nodded. And, with a weak huffed laugh, I said, "Thanks, _Sans-man_."

With a brighter laugh, he cocked a brow and took out his hands to point his finger guns at me. "good one, kid! i like that!"

I turned my gaze back onto the hole in the forest again. I couldn't see even Undyne anymore, so there was little reason for me to stay... Turning myself back to Sans while he was stowing his hands into his pockets again, I told him with more dull expression, "I.. think I'm gonna stay at my own house for tonight. Mom made me a promise... I should wait for her to get home for at least one day, yeah?"

I could feel the frown he wanted to make when his sockets furrowed. Too bad about that petrified smile, huh? "... alright kiddo. but the offer's not gonna expire... just keep it on the table."

"I will."

Nodding his affirmations, he turned uneasily, keeping his eye beads on me for a bit... But I had already turned around to look at that hole in the gates one last time. I guess he decided he should leave me alone, because the next thing I heard was the sound of his slips making that almost slapping noise while his bones clicked and clacked against one another...

I took another minute to myself to just... like, frown at the open gate... If that guy, Franklin, wasn't still standing there beside it, I could have just bolted passed the tape and tailed them. That's what I was thinking... But obviously, that wasn't going to happen. And I wanted to believe Mom wouldn't make promises she couldn't keep...

... And so, hesitating for a few backwards steps and double takes, I decided to just... walk home...

The rest of my night, I spent pretty uneventfully, snacking, gaming and watching dumb DVDs of cartoons past... aaand maybe taking a shower... Spoiler alert, _it didn't really help._

... But you both know what was waiting for me, bright and early. The audience can even work that one out...

... And it was because of that very thing... that I decided that if I got a second chance, _I'd take it..._

... ... ... So, that's my bit in all of this.

(... Wow... I can only imagine how stressful and frustrating that all was for you.)

... Pfft! Are you _kidding? Your_ experience was, like, ten- _ **thousand**_ times worse than mine! You actually had to go **THROUGH** that hell! I'd never want to go anywhere _**NEAR**_ Autumn Vale! Es ** _peci_** \- uh. wait.

/Yeaaah, don't talk about that one... that one is a **top secret _document_** compared to all of this. And not our's to tell.\

(... But yeesh... My mother was a grade-A **viper.** )

Yeah... she kinda was...

... ... ... So! How's about that **Mew** -

 ** _-CLICK!-_**

... ... ...

* * *

 _-In the Braveheart-esque spirit- **Frrreeeeeeedooooooooom!**_

 _... Okay. So... Remember how I said this chapter was the grand master of long? The reason for that happens to do with the fact that I wanted to introduce- or in this case, RE-introduce- a lot of characters and show how there are differences and similarities from the way you all might know them. As well, I wanted to take my own personal take on what I feel Noelle's mom might be like. And I fully understand if you all end up hating her. ^^; But I DID try to make her seem even just a little bit more humane- err... monsterane? ... -u-; Berdly himself was pretty difficult to play off of, since like Noelle, I know the least canonical information. Even more than herself._

 _As for Candace, his mother, my reason for making her the way she is would be to make an exact opposite to Berdly. It's a usual thing for the child to be drastically different from their parent or be like a younger, less experienced version of them. I won't go into depth on that until a later date. I mean, I'm borderline hinting that I'm going to write a side story related to the parents, after all. No need to tell you now, in that sense. But, when I do that one, unlike with this story, I will most likely only focus on one of their points of view. -u-; Writing for multiple personalities is fun and all, but it's incredibly hard. I don't regret doing it though~._

 _As for why I wanted to place this part of the story here? ... Well, because it technically happened "next". Regardless, now is where I can just let loose in the dark world like I have always begged and wanted to._

 _So much thought went into every decision I made in this part and the previous and I wish I could tell you every last detail, but I won't~. I will say this, though. If you're expecting every single thing to be answered in this story, you'll be let down. If I ever commit to this to the extent that Toby Fox will in the official DELTARUNE, though? I already have an entire massive idea on why everything is happening and WHAT will happen. Odds are, it's not going to end at all like he intended. And I wouldn't have it any other way~._

 _I am NOT Toby Fox. I am White Asterisk. Emulate him in ways, I shall. But I'll never attempt to write the exact same story as he would. I see to much of that in fanfiction, these days. Inserts of a character or two into canon events of all manner of series. All of this work re-writing the exact same thing with very minor changes at best and very little difference in the end result._

 _So, perhaps me and him will end up with the same villain. Or perhaps we have vastly different ideas for the big bad. But it will never have the same body or the same ending. And that's what, in my opinion, makes fanfiction so awesome. Just when you think something is too set in stone to change, going all the way back to the basic can change EVERYTHING._

 _But enough gab~._

 _Next chapter... we FINALLY get back to Kris and their odd, new friend. What have they been up to? And how long will it take them to find Team Ralsei? What will happen between that now and that then? And what about the Kytsaters? How big of a nuisance shall they become? And just what do the other intelligent races of the Vale feel about all of this? ... What about Shorn?_

 _All questions. All answered, in due time~._

 _As always, please! Tell me what you guys thought of this! Fave, Review and Follow if you liked what you were reading! Reviews especially are like fuel to me, be they critical, speculation, like or dislike. I'm always striving to better my skills, after all. And I would HATE to stray too far from continuity..._

 _Cheers to all! And also, Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy Belated New Years! ( **Belatedly!** )_


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